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A NEW VERSION 



THE FOUR GOSPELS 



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A NEW VERSION 



THE FOUR GOSPELS; 



NOTES CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY,, 



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Tavra Se ykycxxTrrai "iva TriffTSVGrjTe on 6 'Ijjouvq 
kfxriv 6 XpiVTog 6 vibg rov Qeov. — Joan. xx. 31. 



LONDON : 
JOSEPH BOOKER, 61, NEW BOND STREET. 



1836. 



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C. RICHARDS, PRINTER, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, CHARING CROSS. 



By Trans^r 

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INTRODUCTION. 



The writer of these pages submits the following 
remarks to the consideration of his readers. 

1. The man who, for the purpose of instruction 
or edification, peruses the four books of the gos- 
pels — the only authentic sources of information 
respecting the words and actions of our blessed 
Lord — should be aware that he is reading works 
composed about eighteen centuries ago, and des- 
criptive of events which happened among a people 
of different language from his own, of different 
manners, of different habits of thought, of different 
institutions — social, political, and religious. He 
must, therefore, expect to meet in them with 
colloquial idioms to which he is a stranger, with 
allusions to matters of which he is ignorant, and 
with figures, metaphors, and similitudes — the 
usual vehicles of oriental instruction— the exact 
import of which, though easily understood by 
those to whom they were addressed, can now in 
many instances be discovered only, if it can be 
discovered at all, with the aid of long and patient 
investigation. 

2. In addition, he must never lose sight of one 
particular circumstance in the history of that 



VI 

people — that at the time to which these books 
relate, they were in daily expectation of a re- 
deemer promised in the writings of their prophets. 
These writings were constantly read to them in 
their synagogues ; every passage believed to refer 
to the redeemer was carefully explained by their 
teachers ; his coming and his future triumphs were 
favourite subjects of conversation with men 
writhing under a foreign and detested yoke ; and 
thus by degrees there grew up among them — as 
is the case with every religious sect in respect of 
its distinctive doctrines and practices — a species 
of religious idiom, a set of peculiar phrases con- 
secrated by custom to the expression of the attri- 
butes of the redeemer, and of the adjuncts and 
the consequences of his coining. He was known 
among them under different appellations, which 
may be translated ( the anointed,' ' the son of 
David,' ' the king of Israel,' 6 he who is coming,' 
or ' about to come.' It was believed that he 
would be preceded by Elias, or by some one, 
whom, in ignorance of his name, they denominated 
' the prophet.' From the prediction of Daniel, 
(c. vii. v. 13) they had persuaded themselves that 
he would first appear riding on the clouds of 
heaven, and his coming in that manner they un- 
derstood to be ' the sign,' the visible proof of his 
arrival. Then, the existing - age,' or period of 
the Mosaic dispensation, would, in their opinion, 



Vll 

end ; and the ' future age/ or the reign of the 
anointed, would begin. Then a kingdom, to 
endure for ever, would be established, e the king- 
dom of the heavens/ an expression in their lan- 
guage equivalent to c the kingdom of God' in 
our's. — Now instances of this phraseology abound 
in the gospels. Indeed, it could not be otherwise, 
if our Saviour meant to be understood by his 
hearers, or the evangelists by their readers. We, 
therefore, ought to be constantly on our guard ; 
for, if we take, in their obvious signification, 
phrases, to which custom had assigned among the 
Jews a very different meaning, we shall una- 
voidably fall into error. 

3. Of the gospels the most important parts are 
those which comprise the discourses of our blessed 
Lord. Now it should be remembered that we 
have not these discourses in the language, nor 
often in the form, in which they were spoken. 
We have them not in the language. For he 
spoke to his hearers in their native dialect ; the 
evangelists present his discourses to us in the 
Greek tongue. We have them, therefore, only in 
versions : in versions, too, made by four inde- 
pendent writers, translating into a foreign lan- 
guage with which they were but imperfectly ac- 
quainted. Hence the reader, if he be at all versed 
in the art of translation, will see, that the utmost 
which he can expect from such versions is, that 

A 2 



Vlll 

they agree in substance, while they differ in lan- 
guage and manner.* 

The discrepancies, however, which they pre- 
sent, amount to something more than this. At 
the present day, the translator of the inspired 
writings considers it a sacred duty to render his 
work, as far as the idioms of different languages 
will admit, an exact copy of the original ; and we 
cannot doubt that the evangelists, in their Greek 
versions of our Saviour's discourses, would have 
believed themselves bound by the same law, if 
they had been aware of the immense importance 
which would be attached to their writings in later 
ages, and of the severe scrutiny to which on that 
account each expression of their's would be sub- 
jected. But of such obligation they seem to have 
had no idea. The comparison of corresponding 



* It may, perhaps, be objected that, according to several res- 
pectable writers, the Greek had superseded the Hebrew language, 
or at least was generally understood among the Jews, and therefore 
that our Lord may be supposed to have delivered his discourses in 
Greek. But this opinion, so improbable of itself, rests on grounds 
which appear to me very unsatisfactory; and is, moreover, incon- 
sistent with the fact, that St. Paul, when he addressed the people 
in his own defence (Acts xxi. 40), and Josephus, when by com- 
mand of Titus, he harangued John and the multitude, (De Bel. 
vi. 2) are both stated to have spoken the Hebrew language. How 
far that language might have degenerated from its original purity, 
we know not ; but, as both the scripture and Josephus call it He- 
brew, and not Syro-Chaldaic, much less Greek, I shall without 
fear of error give it the same appellation in the following pages. 



POST OFFICE ^ 



IX 



passages will show that they did not consider 
themselves in the light of verbal translators. They 
were careful to give the general import of our 
Lord's words, but frequently gave it in language 
which was entirely their own. What, for exam- 
ple, could be more important than the commission 
given by our blessed Lord to his apostles imme- 
diately before his ascension? (Matt, xxviii. 19; 
Mark xvi. 15 J Now, according to St. Matthew, 
that commission was conveyed in these words : 
Go, instruct (or, more literally, make disciples of) 
all nations ; according to St. Mark, Go unto the 
whole world, announce the good tidings to the 
whole creation. The import of each is the same ; 
the inference to be drawn from each the same. 
But which represents the words actually spoken 
by our Saviour? It is plain that both cannot. 
Their phraseology is cast in very different moulds. 
From either we must infer that the apostles 
received from their Lord a commission to instruct 
all mankind in his doctrines ; but whether the 
expressions which he really used have been re- 
corded by the one, or by the other, or by either, 
we are ignorant. 

This, however, is not all. We seldom have 
these discourses in the form in which they were 
actually spoken. For the evangelists were not 
translators only, — they were abridgers also. They 
had to comprise within a small compass, what, 



perhaps, had occupied our blessed Lord several 
hours in the delivery. Hence each was com- 
pelled to select, to arrange, to condense, in ac- 
cordance with his own judgment ; and, therefore, 
we must expect to find that one suppresses what 
another retains ; one transposes to the conclusion 
what another presents at the beginning ; and one 
relates in detail what another compresses into a 
few words. Such discrepancies must be the re- 
sult, when the writers act without concert, and 
have to consult only their own individual judg- 
ment. 

This task of abridgment has been productive 
also of occasional obscurity in passages allusive 
to some previous question or occurrence. The 
omission of such question or occurrence by the 
evangelist, leaves the reader at the present day in 
the dark, as to the true meaning of the answer or 
remark which it elicited from our Saviour. 

4. Moreover, it should be kept in mind, that, 
at the time when the evangelists wrote, that accu- 
racy of quotation which we require at the present 
day, was seldom expected. The man who cited 
a passage from another writer, did not often con- 
fine himself to the very words of the original. If 
he expressed the meaning, he had done his duty. 
It is often in this manner that the most ancient 
Christian writers quote the words of scripture ; 
in this manner that the evangelists repeatedly 



XI 

appeal to the testimony of the prophets ; and even 
in this manner that they occasionally cite passages 
from their own works. Let the reader compare 
the quotation in Matt, xxvii. 9, 10, with the real 
text of Zach. xi. 12, and he will see what liberties 
have been taken both with the phraseology of the 
prophet, and with the structure of the sentence; or 
let him turn from John xviii. 9, to verse 12 of the 
preceding chapter, and he will be convinced that, 
when the evangelist professes to quote his own 
words, he is perfectly satisfied if he transcribe 
their meaning. We have a still more striking 
instance in the inscription placed by order of 
Pilate upon the cross. Each of the four evange- 
lists undertakes to copy it, and each gives a dif- 
ferent version — different in words, though not in 
substance. According to one it was, This is 
Jesus, king of the Jews (Matt, xxvii. 37J ; ac- 
cording to the second, The king of the Jews, 
without the pronoun (Mark xv. 26) ; according 
to the third, This is the king of the Jews, with 
the omission of the name (Luke xxiii. 38J ; and 
according to the fourth, Jesus of Nazareth, king 
of the Jews, omitting the demonstrative pronoun, 
and adding the name of the town where Jesus 
had formerly dwelt (John xix. 19J. Now, if they 
allowed themselves so much latitude in the cita- 
tion of written instruments, we may reasonably 
conclude that they assumed the same liberty in 



Xll 

quoting from memory the sayings and discourses 
of their master. 

5. In addition, it may be proper to forewarn the 
reader that he is not to expect in these narratives 
many specimens of elegant writing, or models of 
historic composition. t The inspiration of the 
writers secured them from doctrinal error ; but it 
did not invest them with those literary acquire- 
ments which are the result of education and study. 
Their works are in Greek, which was not their 
native language ; and their pages, particularly 
those of St. John, abound with hebraisms, omis- 
sions, repetitions, and inaccuracies. Their voca- 
bulary seems to have been scanty ; and they 
appear not to have paid particular attention to 
the exact import and real value of words. In 
narration they often confound times and places, 
and omit circumstances, which to them, conver- 
sant as they were with the facts, might appear 
unimportant, but which are necessary to render 
the history intelligible to others. Now this is not 
said to detract from their merit. God chose the 
foolish things of the world to confound the wise, 
and the weak things of the world to confound the 
things that are mighty (1 Cor. i. 28J. If the 
evangelists were deficient in worldly acquirements 
and literary pretensions, they were nevertheless 
' wise unto salvation.' Their wisdom was sterling 
gold ; in the comparison with which the wisdom 



Xlll 

of the pagan teachers, with all its taste and ele- 
gance, was no better than dross or tinsel. But 
the remark is made, that the reader may be aware 
of the latitude of interpretation to which the 
works of such writers on speculative or doctrinal 
matters must be subject ; nor feel surprise if inge- 
nious men, under the guidance of their own judg- 
ment, are occasionally able to draw from them 
very different and sometimes contradictory con- 
clusions. 

6. Again, if he would form a correct notion of 
the spiritual doctrine contained in these narra- 
tives, he should make himself acquainted with the 
peculiar circumstances of those to whom such 
doctrine was announced, and of those for whose 
immediate use these narratives were composed ; 
otherwise he may consider as of general and per- 
petual obligation that, which was meant only for 
a particular time or for particular individuals. 
Of the instruction delivered by our blessed Lord, 
much is undoubtedly applicable to every Chris- 
tian, whatever may be his situation in life ; but 
much was addressed solely to his chosen disciples, 
the poor fishermen of Galilee, for the purpose of 
fitting them for the high office of the apostleship 
after his ascent into heaven ; much to his enemies 
among the Jews, to warn them of the judgments 
which they would entail upon themselves by their 
obstinacy in rejecting his doctrine ; and much to 



XIV 

men, as yet unbelievers, with a view to their 
future conversion, and to their admission into the 
first Church at Jerusalem, — a Church which in 
some important points of discipline was to differ 
from every other Christian Church of that, or of 
subsequent ages. It is plain that instructions 
delivered to these three classes of men, with 
reference to their particular circumstances, cannot 
be applicable in their full extent to every Chris- 
tian at the present day. 

And here we must not lose sight of the peculiar 
discipline of the Church of the Hebrew Christians. 
1st. It was the will of our blessed Lord, that not 
one tittle of the law should pass away, till all 
things were done : that is, till the destruction of 
Jerusalem rendered the observance of the law 
impossible. Hence, the Hebrew Christians were 
expected to practise circumcision, to keep the 
sabbaths, and to observe the Mosaic ritual (Matt. 
v. 17 ; Acts xv.). In fact, had they done other- 
wise, had they apostatized from the law— for 
apostacy it would have been thought — there can 
be no doubt, that they would have been all mas- 
sacred by the intolerant zeal of their countrymen. 
2nd. It was also the pleasure of our Lord that 
they should be distinguished as a body by their 
manner of life, that they should be a shining light 
to the other Jews (Matt v. 14J, and therefore, 
he commanded that they should renounce all 



XV 

things, to follow him; that they should sell all that 
they had, and give the price to the poor ; that 
they should have no property of their own, but all 
things in common ; and that they should rely on 
providence for their future support. That this 
form of discipline was established among them at 
first, and continued for seven years, we know 
from scripture (Acts ii. 43 ; iv. 34) : and though 
from the absence of all historic documents, we can- 
not prove its continuance, yet there is no reason 
whatever to suppose that it was abolished before 
the destruction of Jerusalem. Now, if we recol- 
lect, that the religious instruction contained in 
the gospel, was delivered to the natives of Judea, 
to men of whom this Hebrew Church was to be 
formed, to individuals called upon to join with 
their belief in Christ the renunciation of property 
and the practice of the law, — two points which 
did not concern the Gentile Christians, — we must 
expect to meet in our Saviour's discourses with 
many passages inculcating these obligations, 
which passages, though strictly applicable to the 
Jewish converts, had no reference to the form of 
discipline to be established in the Churches of 
Gentile origin. 

Then with respect to the gospels themselves, 
though every sincere christian will admit that 
they were composed by inspired writers, it may 
be a legitimate subject of inquiry with what im- 



XVI 

mediate view they were composed. Were they 
only occasional narratives, suggested by circum- 
stances, and intended for the immediate use of 
particular persons ; or were they meant by the 
writers as historical records to convey to all 
future generations a faithful account of the actions 
and doctrines of our blessed Lord? There can 
be no doubt that the first is the real light in which 
they ought to be considered. As far as can be 
ascertained from internal evidence and ancient 
testimony, St. Matthew wrote in Hebrew for the 
use of the converts in Judea, St. Mark in Greek, 
for the Jewish converts in Rome, and St. Luke 
also in Greek, but for the use of an individual of 
the name of Theophilus, that he might know the 
certainty of the things in which he had been in- 
structed. (Luke i. 4s.) All three proceed on 
nearly the same plan. They record the coming 
of the baptist, the preaching of Jesus, his decla- 
ration in favour of the law, his injunction of the 
renunciation of property, his parables prophetic 
of the rejection of the Jews, his predictions of the 
persecution of the Hebrew Christians, his denun- 
ciation of the judgment about to fall on the nation, 
his exposition of the signs which should precede 
that judgment, and his advice to his disciples for 
their escape from the common doom. All this 
shows that they wrote before the fall of Jerusalem, 
and for the first generation of Christians. St. 



XV 11 



John's work is of a very different description. He 
hardly ever touches on any one of these topics. He 
says nothing about the law, or the renunciation of 
property ; he has no parables respecting the pun- 
ishment of the pharisees, no prediction of the ruin 
of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the nation — the 
time for these things had gone by before he wrote; 
— his object is the instruction of the Gentile Chris- 
tians ; to refute erroneous notions respecting the 
person and character of Jesus ; to show that Jesus, 
the promised redeemer, was not a mere man, but 
the creator of all things that had been made, — the 
word made flesh, who dwelt with his father in 
glory before the foundation of the world. He 
points out to his readers the real object of his 
writing — to the end that ye may believe that Jesus 
is the Messiah, the son of God (John xx. 31 J But 
there is not in any of these works so much as a 
hint that the writers had in view the instruction 
of future generations, of men who were to exist 
many centuries afterwards, of men of different 
climes, and habits, and descent ; there is nothing 
in them to warrant even a suspicion that they ever 
thought of any other readers than the converts of 
the day, the new Christians with whom they were 
more immediately connected. In the three first, the 
manner, the language, the whole composition, is 
adapted to the state of Christianity before— in St. 
John to thestateof Christianity immediately after — 



XV111 



the fall of Jerusalem. Now, though truth is one, 
though the principles of morality are the same at 
all times and in all places, yet the right under- 
standing of religious doctrine, and the correct 
application of religious precept, will often depend 
on the peculiar circumstances of those to whom 
such doctrines and precepts were originally an- 
nounced ; and to suppose that whatever of advice 
and command was addressed by our Lord to the 
unbelieving Jews, or communicated by the evan- 
gelists to their new converts, the same must of 
course be literally applicable to all Christians to 
the end of time, will frequently lead to unsafe and 
unsound conclusions. 

7. In like manner the reader will find himself 
in error, if he suppose that in these four tracts, 
taken separately or collectively, he possesses a full 
and complete statement of the doctrines and pre- 
cept of our blessed Lord. The comparison of 
their contents will show, beyond the possibility of 
doubt, that they are all imperfect narratives, com- 
prising only those particulars which the respective 
writers considered it of importance to communi- 
cate, in furtherance of the object for which they 
wrote. Even the gospel of St. John, though it 
was posterior in time to the other three, and 
though it presents a considerable mass of new 
matter, of which no trace is to be found in the 
preceding gospels, does not fill up the deficiency 



XIX 

which they had left. For the evangelist, at the 
conclusion, is careful to inform us, that his work 
is rather a summary than a history, and that it is 
confined to a small portion only of the actions 
and sayings of our Saviour. Many other wonders 
did Jesus also work in the presence of his disci- 
ples which are not written in this book. There 
remain many other things that Jesus did, which 
were they written one by one, the world, I think, 
woidd not contain the books so written. — John xx. 
30 ; xxi. 25. 

8. But then, if these narratives be thus defec- 
tive, can it be that they were composed for the 
purpose of forming the historical part of a reli- 
gious code, from which alone, as many pretend, 
succeeding generations were to draw, without 
the aid of oral testimony or tradition, all their 
knowledge of Christian faith and Christian prac- 
tice? This, indeed is a very common opinion, 
but one, which on examination, will be seen to 
be without foundation. It can boast of no war- 
rant from scripture — where, however, if it be true, 
such warrant must exist — and it implies the im- 
probable, the startling supposition, that the divine 
wisdom, for the purpose of providing us with this 
sole, and therefore indispensable, source of religi- 
ous knowledge, preferred to leave us four imper- 
fect and occasionally discordant narratives, in the 
place of one complete and consistent history. In 



XX 

fact, the precepts and doctrines promulgated in the 
gospels, are often conveyed in language so meta- 
phorical and figurative, so obscure and enigmatical, 
that it seems difficult to conceive how the very 
contemporaries of the evangelists could be sure 
that they understood it correctly, unless they 
possessed the additional aid of oral interpretation 
from the apostles themselves, or from teachers 
commissioned by the apostles. If such was the 
case, then, can it be otherwise now ? 

In conclusion, it may be proper to inform the 
reader, that the notes which are appended to the 
text in the following pages, are not of a contro- 
versial character. Their object is the elucidation 
of obscure passages, or the explication of allusions 
to national customs, or the statement of the rea- 
sons which have induced the translator to differ 
occasionally from preceding interpreters. Many of 
these he has consulted, though he has not thought 
proper to load his pages with references to their 
works. Such references would afford little infor- 
mation to the biblical scholar; they would be 
passed over without notice by the general reader. 



THE 

HOLY GOSPEL 



ACCORDING TO 



MATTHEW. 



This, if we may believe the consentient voice of 
Christian antiquity, is the most ancient of the 
Gospels, written within a few years after our Lord's 
ascension, by the Apostle mentioned in c. x. v. 3, 
for the use of the Jewish converts among his 
countrymen, and consequently in their language. 
The original text has perished ; but we have a 
translation from it in Greek, and another from 
that into Latin, both made at a very early period. 
In the notes, I shall occasionally quote from the 
Greek text, as it has been made up by critics 
from different manuscripts ; and at the same time 
from the Latin, as representing a Greek manu- 
script of greater antiquity than any now in 
existence. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE DESCENT AND BIRTH OF JESUS. 

1. A book of the generation of Jesus Messiah, son of 
David, son of Abraham. 

{v. 1.) A Book of the Generation — B((3\og yeviaeioc — Liber 
Generationis. This expression has been understood by some to 

B 



2 MATTHEW. 

2. Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob, and 
Jacob begat Judas and his brethren. 

3. And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamer, and 
Phares begat Esron, and Esron begat Aram. 

4. And Aram begat Aminadab, and Aminadab begat 
Naasson, and Naasson begat Salmon. 

5. And Salmon begat Booz of Rahab, and Booz begat 
Obed of Ruth, and Obed begat Jesse. 

6. And Jesse begat David the king, and David the king 
begat Solomon, of her who had been the wife of Urias. 

7. And Solomon begat Roboam, and Roboam begat 
Abiud, and Abiud begat Asa. 

8. And Asa begat Josaphat, and Josaphat begat Joram, 
and Joram begat Ozias. 

9. And Ozias begat Joatham, and Joatham begat 
Aehaz, and Achaz begat Ezechias. 

10. And Ezechias begat Manasses, and Manasses 
begat Amon, and Amon begat Josias. 

11. And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, 
about the time of the migration to Babylon. 

12. And after the migration to Babylon, Jechonias 
begat Salathiel, and Salathiel begat Zorobabel. 

refer to the table of descents, by others to mean the history of the 
birth of our blessed Lord. But a comparison of it with the 18th 
verse will shew, that it refers, not to the table, but to the narrative 
which follows it, and includes, not the birth only, but the concep- 
tion also. Hence I have rendered it generation, with the Latin 
translator, in both places. 

Messiah. I prefer Messiah to Christ, as better calculated to 
represent to an English reader the sense of the original ; and shall 
use or omit the article in conformity with the Greek text. 

(v. 8.) Joram begat Ozias. Ozias was not the son, but the great 
grandson of Joram. The contemporaries of the evangelist might 
know, we do not, why the intermediate descents are omitted. 

(v. 12.) Jechonias. This is not the Jechonias mentioned in 
the last verse, but his son ; unless it were so, the third series would 
not consist of fourteen persons, as is stated in verse 17. 



MATTHEW. 3 

13. And Zorobabel begat Abiud, and Abiud begat 
Eliacim, and Eliacim begat Azor. 

14. And Azor begat Sadoc, and Sadoc begat Achim, 
and Achim begat Eliud. 

15. And Eliud begat Eleazar, and Eleazar begat Ma- 
than, and Math an begat Jacob. 

16. And Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, 
of whom was born Jesus, he that is called Messiah. 

17. Wherefore all the descents are, from Abraham unto 
David fourteen descents ; from David unto the migration 
to Babylon fourteen descents ; and from the migration to 
Babylon unto Messiah fourteen descents. 

18. Now the generation of the Messiah was in this wise. 
After the espousal of his mother Mary to Joseph, before 
they came together, she proved to be with child of the 
Holy Ghost. 

19. And her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, 
and unwilling to expose her, had a mind to divorce her 
privately. 



(v. 16.) That is called Messiah. To be called is a well known 
Hebraism for to be. The reader will meet with numerous in- 
stances in which it cannot bear any other signification. 

(v. 17.) This is the genealogy of Joseph, not of Jesus; for 
Joseph was not the father of Jesus. Why then did the Evange- 
list begin his narrative with it ? Had he been aware that he was 
writing for our information, he would probably have told us. To 
the christian converts of the day such information was unnecessary. 
He followed, undoubtedly, the custom of his country. 

(v. 18.) To be with child. If the woman were not a virgin at 
the time of the espousal, or were unfaithful afterwards, the law 
condemned her to death. Deut. xx. 19, et seq. 

{v. 19.) Privately, that is, without assigning the cause. He 
had not yet taken her to his own house, and therefore, it is pro- 
bable, meant to divorce her in private before those persons only 
who had been witnesses to their espousal. 

B 2 



4 MATTHEW. 

20. But while he was thinking on this, behold, an 
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said : 
" Joseph, son of David, fear not to take home thy wife, 
for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Ghost. 

21. And she will bring forth a son, and thou shalt 
call his name Jesus, (saviour) for he will save his people 
from their sins." 

22. Now all this was done, so as to accomplish that 
which the Lord had spoken by the prophet, when he 
said : 

23. Behold, a virgin will prove with child, and will 
bring forth a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel, 
(Isaiah vii. 14) which is translated, God is with us. 

24. Then Joseph, rising from his sleep, did as the 
angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took home his 
wife. 

25. But he knew her not unto the time when she 
brought forth her son, her firstborn, whose name he called 
Jesus. 



(v. 23.) His name Emmanuel. But the angel ordered the 
child to be called Jesus. The answer is, that the two names, 
though different in sound, have substantially the same meaning. 

(Ibid.) Which is translated. If the Evangelist wrote in 
Hebrew .as is believed, this interpretation must have been added 
by the translator. 

(v. 25.) Unto the time when — eug ov — donee. The object of 
the Evangelist is to show by this statement that our Lord, as had 
been foretold, was born of a virgin. His words have no reference 
to the time after the birth of Jesus ; for the denial that an event 
took place before a certain period, is no admission that it took 
place afterwards, unless it be certain that it happened at some 
time or other. See Luke xxii. 16, and 1 Kings (Sam.) xv. 35. 

(Ibid.) Her first born. By the law, the child that opened the 
womb, if a male, was styled the first born, though no other fol- 
lowed. Exod. xiii. 2. Primogenitus est non tan turn post quem 
alii, sed ante quem nullus. S. Hier. adv. Helvid. 



MATTHEW. 5 

CHAPTER II. 

THE MAGIANS — THE MASSACRE OF THE INNOCENTS — 
THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 

1. Now after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem of Juda, 
in the days of Herod the king, behold there came Magians 
from the East to Jerusalem. 

2. And they asked : " Where is the new-born king of 
the Jews, for his star hath been seen by us in the East, 
and we are come to worship him." 

3 But Herod the king, when he heard this, was greatly 
agitated, and (so was) all Jerusalem with him. 

4. Then, having assembled all the high priests and 
scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the 
Messiah should be born. 



(v. 1.) Days of Herod. We know not how long our Saviour 
was born before the death of Herod, nor what is the exact date of 
that monarch's death. It is certain, however, that Herod was 
dead before the passover of the year of Rome, 752. Now the 
Christian era is dated from the first of January, 754, and, conse- 
quently, several years after the birth of Christ. 

(Ibid.) Magians. From the narrative of St. Matthew I should 
infer that the arrival of Magians at Jerusalem was not an uncom- 
mon occurrence. It was the question which they put that excited 
surprise. But from what country did they come ? The Evange- 
list did not think it necessary to explain what was so well known 
to his contemporaries. Commentators differ in their conjectures. 
To me it appears probable that they came from Persia. Persia 
was the original seat of the Magian religion ; and we know that 
from the accession of Cyrus to the conquest of Alexandria, there 
existed a friendly intercourse between the Persians and the Jews, 
which very probably continued after that period. The Persians 
were monotheists, as well as the Jews; they detested the poly- 
theism of the other nations as much as the Jews ; and they demon- 
strated great respect for the worship and the temple of the Jews. 
Probably they came occasionally to worship there. 

(v. 4.) High-priests and Scribes. According to some exposi- 
tors, the heads of the several sacerdotal families are called high 



6 MATTHEW. 

5. Who told him : " In Bethlehem of Juda, for thus it 
hath been written by the prophet : 

6. And thou Bethlehem, land of Juda, art not the 
least among the chieftains of Juda, for out of thee will 
come a governor, who shall rule my people Israel." — Mich- 
v. 2. 

7. Then Herod, having sent privately for the Magians, 
carefully ascertained from them the time of the appear- 
ance of the star. 

8. And dismissing them to Bethlehem, he said : " Go, 
make diligent enquiry after the child ; and when ye have 
found him, bring back word to me, that I may also go 
and worship him. 1 ' 

9. But they, having heard the king, went their way ; 
and behold, the star which had been seen by them in the 
East moved before them, till it came and stood over the 
place where the child was. 

10. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with 
exceedingly great joy. 

11. And going into the house, they found the child, 
with Mary his mother ; and falling down, they wor- 
shipped him, and opening their stores, they offered to 
him presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 

12. But having been warned in a dream not to go 
back to Herod, they returned by another way into their 
own country. 



priests. I am inclined to confine the title to those who had once 
exercised the office of high priest, and then been superseded by 
others. (See an example of this in Jos. Ant. xx. 9.) The Scribes 
were the expounders of the law. 

(v. 6.) This quotation will prove the remark in the preface. It 
gives the substance, but not the very words of the prophet. 

(v. 12.) We are told by St. Luke (ii. 22, 39.) that Mary, at 
the close of the forty days of her purification, went to Jerusalem, 



MATTHEW. 7 

13. Now after their departure, behold an angel of the 
Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph, and said : " Arise, 
take with thee the child and his mother, and flee into 
Egypt, and stay thou there until I speak to thee, for 
Herod is about to seek after the child, that he may put 
him to death." 

14. Then he rose, and taking with him the child and 
his mother by night, withdrew into Egypt. 

15. And he remained there till the death of Herod, so 
as to accomplish that which the Lord had said by the 
prophet : out of Egypt have I called my son. — Oseexi. 1. 

16. Then Herod, seeing that he had been duped by the 
Magians, was exceedingly wroth ; and he sent, and slew 
all the men-children in Bethlehem and the dependencies 
thereof, from those in their second year downwards, 
according to the time which he had ascertained from the 
Magians. 

17. Then was accomplished the word spoken by Jere- 
mias the prophet, when he said : 



and thence to hev former residence at Nazareth. Hence, as the 
Magians found our Saviour at Bethlehem, it seems to follow that 
they arrived there within the forty days after his birth. 

{v. 15.) Out of Egypt I have called my son. The son men- 
tioned in the text of the prophet is the people of Israel. How 
then is the passage applicable to Jesus ? It may be that the Jews 
of that day considered their fathers, who were styled as a people, 
" the son and the first-born of God," in the light of a figure of the 
Messiah ; and, in that supposition, they would see that what had 
been said of the figure was now verified in the reality. But this is 
only a conjecture. The application of the passage by the Evan- 
gelist was, undoubtedly, justified by the practice of the Jewish 
doctors. 

[v. 16.) Second year downwards — ot7ro Sietovq kclI Karioripo) — 
a bimatu et infra. According to Hesychius, Sutyiq means that 
which has lived a year. Herod therefore inferred from the 
information of the Magians, that the infant whom he sought 
could not be two years old. 



8 MATTHEW. 

18. In Rama was heard a voice of lamentation and 
much mourning. It was Rachel bewailing her children ; 
nor would she be comforted, because they are not. — Jere- 
miah xxxi. 15. 

19. But after the death of Herod, behold, an angel of 
the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 

20. And said : " Arise, take with thee the child and 
his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for they are 
dead who sought the life of the child." 

21. And he rose, and taking with him the child and 
his mother, came into the land of Israel. 

22. But when he heard that Archelaus governed Judea 
in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thi- 
ther ; and being warned in a dream, he withdrew into 
the country of Galilee, 

23. And came and sojourned in the town called Naza- 
reth, so as to accomplish the saying of the prophets : He 
shall be called a Nazarite. 

(v. 18.) The prophet represents Rachel bewailing the fate of 
the Israelites as they passed by her tomb into captivitj-. Now 
that tomb was in the vicinity of Bethlehem, whence the Evange- 
list applies the same passage to the massacre of the infants in 
Bethlehem and the neighbourhood. 

[v. 22.) Country of Galilee. Augustus had severed Galilee 
from Judea, and placed it under the government of Herod An- 
tipas. Joseph. Ant. xvii. 11. 

[v. 23.) A Nazarite. This is a difficult passage for us, though, 
probably, very intelligible to the contemporaries of the sacred 
writer. The obvious meaning is, that from his residence at Naza- 
reth he should be, or should be called, a Nazarite. Now nothing 
of this tendency is to be found in the prophets; nor did the Jews 
expect that the Messiah would ever dwell in the town of Nazareth. 
John i. 46. It is not, however, improbable that the Jewish 
doctors, when they explained the meaning of the word Nazarite in 
the Old Testament, particularly in Num. vi. and Jitdg. xiii. 5, 
were accustomed to teach that the saviour to come would prove 
the real Nazarite, of whom the others were but the figures. 



MATTHEW. 9 

CHAPTER III. 

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS BY JOHN. 

1. Now in those days cometh John the baptist, 
announcing in the wilderness of Judea, 

2. And saying : " Repent, for the kingdom of heaven 
is at hand." 

3. For this man is he that was spoken of by Isaias the 
prophet, when he said : the voice of him who cryeth in 
the wilderness, prepare ye the ivay of the Lord, make 
straight his paths. — Isaiah xl. 3. 

4. Now John himself wore a garment of camels 1 hair, 
and a girdle of leather round his waist, and his food was 
locusts and wild honey. 

5. And there went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, 
and all the country about the Jordan, 



(v. 2.) Repent — jLieravuhre — agite poenitentiam. When the 
Latin translation was made, poenitere, or pceniteri, and agere 
poenitentiam, were used for the same thing, like vivere and agere 
vitam. (Compare this passage with Mark i. 15; and Acts ii. 38 
with iii. 19, and Apoc. ii. 21, in the Vulgate.) But in the Eng- 
lish language, at the present day, to repent and to do penance are 
not synonymous ; for the first necessarily imports regret of 
mind, the second only the suffering of punishment. I shall there- 
fore render ptTavoliv by to repent. Some critics have preferred 
to reform. But though there can be no true repentance which 
produces not reformation, there is often a reformation which is not 
produced by repentance. 

(Ibid.) The kingdom of Heaven — ficHTtXeia tiov ovpavuv — 
regnum coelorum. Literally of the heavens, a Hebraism for of 
God. In Daniel iv. 25, 26, the heavens do reign, and the most 
high doth reign, mean the same thing ; and the other evangelists, 
who wrote in Greek, always render it the kingdom of God. From 
the comparison of the numerous passages in which it occurs, it 
appears to have been a phrase adopted to express the reign of the 
Messiah, his spiritual kingdom upon earth, which was to supersede 
the Mosaic dispensation. 



10 MATTHEW. 

6. And they were baptized by him in the Jordan, con- 
fessing their sins. 

7. Now, seeing that many of the Pharisees and Saddu- 
cees came to his baptism, he said to them : " Ye broods 
of vipers, who hath taught you to flee from the wrath to 
come ? 

8. Yield then acceptable fruits of repentance ; 

9. And think not to say in your minds, we have 
Abraham for our father ; for I tell you, that out of these 
stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. 

10. Yea, even now the axe lieth at the root of the 
trees. Wherefore every tree that yieldeth not good fruit, 
will be hewn down, and cast into the fire. 

11. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; 
but he that cometh after me, is more mighty than I; 
whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize 
you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. 

12. Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly 
clear his floor, and will gather his wheat into the barn ; 
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." 

13. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan, unto 
John, to be baptized by him. 

14. But John stayed him, and said: " I have need of 
being baptized by thee, and dost thou come unto me ?" 

1 5. But Jesus made him this answer : " Suffer it at 
present, for thus it becometh us to comply with every 
duty." Then he suffered him. 



(v. 7.) The Pharisees and Sadducees belonged to the two lead- 
ing sects among the Jews. The first believed in the immortality 
of the soul, the resurrection, and a future state of reward or 
punishment ; the second rejected these doctrines, and confined the 
rewards promised, and the punishments threatened, in the Scrip- 
tures, to the present life. See Josephus, Ant. xviii. 1 ; De 
Bel. ii. 8. 



MATTHEW. 11 

16. And Jesus, being baptized, came up out of the 
water, and at that moment, lo, the heavens opened to him, 
and he saw the spirit of God descending like to a dove, 
and lighting upon him. 

17. And lo, a voice from heaven said : " This is my 
son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased/' 



CHAPTER IV. 

JESUS IS TEMPTED IN THE WILDERNESS — BEGINS TO 
TEACH, AND TO CALL HIS APOSTLES. 

1. Then was Jesus led by the spirit into the wilder- 
ness, to be tempted of the devil. 

2. And after a fast of forty days and forty nights, he 
was hungry. 

3. And the tempter accosted him, and said : " If thou 
art the son of God, command these stones to become 
bread." 

4. But he said in answer : " It is written, man llveth 
not on bread alone, but on every word that proceedeth out 
of the mouth of God.'''' — Deut. viii. 3. 

(v. \.) To be tempted. This word in the Scripture means to 
make a trial, either of a man's virtue by alluring him to the com- 
mission of sin, or of his prudence or resolution, by artfully draw- 
ing from him some admission or disclosure useful to the tempter. 
Here, in my opinion, it must be taken in the second sense. Satan 
had heard of the voice from heaven, This is my beloved son, and 
sought to draw from our Lord some disclosure which might reveal 
to him its real import. 

(v. 3.) If thou art. This condition shews the object of the 
tempter. Had our Lord complied and succeeded, it would have 
followed that he was the son of God ; if he failed, that he was 
not. 

{v. 4.) Every word, &c. The word that cometh out of the 
mouth is, in Hebrew phraseology, the will or good pleasure of the 
agent. See Numb, xxxii. 24. ; Jer. xliv. 17. 



12 MATTHEW. 

5. Then the devil conveyeth him into the holy city, 
and setteth him upon the wing of the temple ; 

6. And sayeth to him : " If thou art the son of God, 
cast thyself down ; for it is written, that to his angels he 
will give charge concerning thee, and on their hands will 
they bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a 
stone." — Psalm xc. 11, 12. 

7. Jesus sayeth to him : " On the other hand it is 
written, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" — Deut. 
vi. 16. 

8. Again the devil conveyeth him on to a very high 
mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the 
earth, and the glory thereof, 

9. And sayeth to him : " All these things will I give 
thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me." 

10. Then Jesus sayeth to him : " Begone, Satan ; for 
it is written, the Lord thy God shalt thou worship, and 
him only shalt thou serve" — Deut. vi. 13. 

11. Then the devil left him, and lo, angels came and 
ministered to him. 

12. But Jesus, having heard that John was delivered 
up, withdrew into Galilee. 

13. And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in 



(v. 5.) Wing. See Luke iv. 9. 

[v. 7.) Thou shalt not tempt. The verb is in die plural num- 
ber in the original text, and refers to the conduct of the Israelites 
at Massa, where, impatient for water, they cried out, Is the Lord 
among us, or not P Exod. xvii. 7. They then tempted God, that 
is, sought to provoke him to perform a miracle. 

[v. 9.) If thou wilt fall down. Had our Lord done so, it 
would have clearly shewn that he was not the real son of God. 

{v. 10.) The Lord thy God, &c. This meaning is found in 
many parts of Scripture, the exact \vords nowhere. 



MATTHEW. 13 

Capharnaum, the sea port on the borders of Zabulon and 
Nephthalim ; 

14. So as to accomplish what had been spoken by 
Isaias the prophet : 

15. The land of Zabulon, the land of Nephthalim, by 
the way of the sea, on the bank of the Jordan, the Galilee 
of the Gentiles ; 

16. The people that sate in darkness hath seen a great 
light, and to those who dwelt in the land of the shades of 
death, even unto them light hath arisen. — Isaiah xi. 1. 

17. From that time Jesus began to announce and to 
say : " Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." 

18. And as Jesus was walking by the sea of Galilee, 
he saw two brothers, Simon who is surnamed Peter, and 
Andrew his brother, casting a draw-net into the sea, for 
they were fishermen. 

19. And he sayeth to them : " Come ye after me, and 
I will make you fishers of men." 

20. And straightways they left their nets, and fol- 
lowed him. 

21. And as he went forward, he saw other two bro- 
thers, James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, 
with their father, mending their nets in their bark. And 
he called them. 

22. And forthwith leaving the bark and their father, 
they followed him. 

{v. 13.) The sea-port. Capharnaum was not a sea-port; but 
was so called because the Jews gave to the lake of Tiberias the 
denomination of " the Sea of Galilee." 

{v. 15.) The bank — irepav — trans. The country in question 
was not on the other side, but, as we should say, on this side of 
the river. 

(v. 16.) In this quotation the Evangelist has taken the liberty 
to depart from the original in two or three instances. 



14 MATTHEW. 

23. Now Jesus went over the whole of Galilee, teach- 
ing in their synagogues, and announcing the good tidings 
of the kingdom, and healing every manner of disease and 
infirmity amongst the people. 

24. And the report concerning him spread over the 
whole of Syria ; and they brought to him all that were 
sick, afflicted with divers diseases and pains, and demo- 
niacs, and lunatics, and paralytics, and he healed them. 

25. And multitudes of people followed him from Gali- 
lee and Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and the 
bank of the Jordan. 



CHAPTER V. 

JESUS TEACHETH ON THE MOUNTAIN. 

1. Now seeing the people, he went up on to the moun- 
tain, where he sate down, and his disciples came to him. 

2. And opening his mouth, he taught them in these 
words. 



(v. 23.) The good tidings — kvavyikiov — evangeliura. This 
word was rendered literally by our ancestors the good spell, or 
tidings. We retain the word under the more modern form of 
Gospel. 

(v. 24.) That the demoniacs mentioned in scripture were not 
persons afflicted with mental derangement, or some unknown 
malady, is plain from the distinction made in this verse between 
them and the sick and insane. The writers, most certainly, when 
they spoke of demons, could not mean to personify aberration of 
intellect, or the invisible cause of pain ; for they treat of them as 
of intelligent beings ; Mat. viii. 29 ; Mark iii. 10; v. 7-11 ; or 
evil and unclean spirits; Mark v. 2, 8, 13; Luke x. 17, 20. ; or 
as the agents and associates of Satan; Mat. xii. 22, 28; 
Acts x. 38. 

(v. 2.) He taught them. This long discourse was addressed to 
native Jews ; it will of course contain allusions to customs peculiar 
to the nation. From them, moreover, were to be selected the 



MJfTTHEW. 15 

3. u Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their's is the 
' kingdom of heaven ; ' 

4. Blessed the meek, for they shall inherit the land ; 

5. Blessed they that mourn, for they shall be comforted ; 

6. Blessed they that hunger and thirst after righteous- 
ness, for they shall be satisfied ; 

7. Blessed the merciful, for they shall meet with mercy ; 

8. Blessed the clean of heart, for they shall see God ; 

9. Blessed the peacemakers, for they shall be called 
children of God ; 

10. Blessed they that suffer persecution for the sake of 
righteousness, for their's is the ' kingdom of heaven.' 

11. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and per- 
secute you, and speak all manner of evil words against 
you falsely, on my account; 

members of the first church in Jerusalem : it will therefore contain 
precepts adapted to the form of religious discipline, which was 
peculiar to that church. See Introduction, No. 6. 

(v. 3.) Blessed — fiaKapiot — beati. I have rendered it blessed in 
compliance with custom. The proper word is happy. Blessed is 
always in Scripture kvXoyrirog, benedictus. 

(Ibid.) In spirit — rJ irvEvpaTi. This addition points out the 
meaning of the metaphor, as it does in the kindred phrase of 
'(iav tw -KVEv^ari. Acts xviii. 25. He speaks, not of the poor 
as to worldly substance, but of the poor of spirit, that is, the 
humble, and docile, and simple ; for of such, as he says of chil- 
dren, was the kingdom of heaven. Simplicity and docility were 
necessary dispositions of mind to enable men to embrace his doc- 
trine, and to enter that kingdom. 

[v. 4.) Inherit the land. The passage is taken from Psalm 
xxxvi. 11, where it refers to the land of promise. Here it may 
be taken metaphorically for heaven, though I conceive it to have 
been literally fulfilled immediately after the fall of Jerusalem, when 
the Christians, who had meekly borne the persecution of their 
countrymen, returning from the asylum in which they had 
escaped the exterminating sword of the Romans, found the land 
in a great measure desolate, and therefore took possession of it as 
they pleased. 



16 MATTHEW. 

12. Be ye glad and rejoice, because your reward is great 
in heaven : for so did they persecute the prophets that 
were before you." 

13. "Ye are the salt of the earth. But, if the salt lose 
its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thence- 
forth good for nothing but to be cast forth, and to be 
trodden under foot of men. 

14. Ye are the light of the world. A city cannot be 
hidden if it is seated on a mountain. 

15. Neither do men kindle a light, and put it under 
the corn measure, but upon a stand. Then it giveth light 
to all that are in the house. 

16. In this manner let your light shine before men ; 
that they may see your good works, and give glory to your 
father who is in heaven." 

17. " Think not that I am come to do away with the 
law or the prophets. I am not come to do away with, but 
to complete them. 

18. For verily I say to you, until heaven and earth pass 
away, not one iota or one tittle of the law shall pass 
away, till all things be done. 



(v. 13-16.) This is prophetic of the first church in Jerusalem, 
in which the Hebrew Christians having every thing in common, and 
living in the constant practice of every virtue, attracted the notice 
of their countrymen, and exhibited to them a splendid proof of 
the excellency of the new religion. 

(v. 17.) This and the following verses may be paraphrased 
thus : " Think not, as is said by the scribes and pharisees, that 
my object is to do away with the law. No ! it is to teach you the 
law in its full meaning, according to its real spirit, and not as it 
has been pared down by the glosses of the scribes and pharisees." 

(v. 18.) " For no part of the law will cease to be in force, till 
the prophecies respecting it have been fulfilled." It was in force 
till the fall of Jerusalem. 



MATTHEW. 17 

19. Whosoever therefore doeth away with one of these 
commands, even the least, and so teacheth men, he shall 
be called least in the ' kingdom of heaven:' but whosoever 
doth practise and teach, he shall be called great in the 
' kingdom of heaven.' 

20. For I say to you that, unless your righteousness be 
more comprehensive than that of the scribes and phari- 
sees, ye cannot enter the ' kingdom of heaven.' 

21. "Ye have heard that it was said to them of old, 
thou shalt not kill, (Ex. xx. 13) and whosoever shall kill, 
shall be amenable to the judgement. 

22. But I say to you that every man in a passion with 
his brother, shall be amenable to the judgement ; and 
whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be amen- 
able to the Sanhedrin ; and whosoever shall say, Moreh, 
shall be amenable into the hell of fire. 



(v. 19.) " Wherefore in my kingdom — the future church of 
Jerusalem — no teacher shall be approved, who does away with the 
least command of the law ; while he who teaches and practises the 
law fully, and according to its spirit, shall be highly esteemed. 

(v. 20.) " For no one can belong to that kingdom, who does 
not practise the law in a more perfect manner than the scribes and 
pharisees, who, by their glosses and traditions, have done away 
with the spirit, if not, in some instances, with the letter of the law." 
Of this he proceeds to point out several instances. 

(v. 21.) This is the first instance. They confined the prohibi- 
tion to the sin of murder ; our Saviour extends it to matters on 
which they were silent. 

(v. 22.) It was a familiar practice with the Eastern teachers, to 
make allusion to something already said or done, and to pursue 
that allusion through the rest of the discourse. The dictum of the 
scribes, in the last verse, mentioned the judgement, an inferior 
court of justice, of twenty-three members; our Saviour imme- 
diately refers to it in a metaphorical sense, and thence proceeds to 
the Sanhedrin, a superior court, the senate of Israel; and thence to 
the hell of fire, or valley of Hinnon, an object of abhorrence to 
the Jews, because there the Ammonites had been accustomed to 

C 



18 MATTHEW. 

23. Wherefore, if thou offer thy gift at the altar, and 
there remember that thy brother hath aught against thee, 

24. Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy 
way, be first reconciled to thy brother, and then come and 
offer thy gift. 

25. Come to an agreement with thine adverse party 
quickly, whilst thou art yet on the way with him : lest 
the adverse party deliver thee to the judge, and the judge 
to the bailiff, and thou be cast into prison. 

26. Verily I say to thee, thou shalt not come out thence, 
till thou hast discharged the last farthing." 

27. " Ye have heard that it was said to them of old, 
thou shalt not commit adultery. — Ex. xx. 14. 

burn their children in honour of Moloch. These allusions would 
be perfectly understood by his hearers ; to us they point out (but 
more indistinctly) three kinds of punishment, increasing progres- 
sively in severity ; whence we may infer, that the sins to which 
they are allotted, equally increase in enormity. 

But what are these sins ? Here again we are in the dark. The 
first of them is the being in a passion with a brother. The Greek 
text adds kiKtj, without cause ; the Latin omits it, and the au- 
thorities are nearly balanced in favour of each reading. The 
second is the use of the word Raca ; the third the use of the 
word Moreh. That these phrases refer to explosions of passion 
in angry and vindictive language, there cannot be a doubt; but of 
their exact meaning, we have no knowledge. 

(v. 22.) Moreh. It is generally translated thou fool, from the 
Greek pups. But it is difficult to conceive that such can be the 
meaning, and more satisfactory to maintain with Campbell, that 
patch is a copy, in Greek letters, of the Hebrew word raka, so /utope 
is a copy, in Greek letters, of some other contumelious word in 
use among the Jews. 

(v. 24.) God will not accept your worship, till you have made 
reparation to him whom you have injured. 

(v. 25, 26.) Do it promptly, or you may fall into the hands of 
your Almighty judge, who will exact reparation to the full. In 
these verses is taught the obligation incumbent on him who has 
injured another. He must seek a reconciliation, and repair the 
wrong. 



MATTHEW. 19 

28. But I say to you that every man who looketh on a 
woman so that he may lust after her, hath committed 
adultery with her in his heart. 

29. Therefore, if thy right eye be to thee the cause of 
sin, tear it out, and cast it from thee : for it will be a be- 
nefit to thee, if one of thy members perish, and thy whole 
body be not cast into hell. 

30. And, if thy right hand be to thee the cause of sin, 
cut it off, and cast it from thee : for it will be a benefit to 
thee, if one of thy members perish, and thy whole body 
be not cast into hell." 

31. "It hath been said, whosoever shall dismiss his wife, 
let him give to her a bill of divorce. — Deut. xxiv. 1. 

32. But I say to you, whosoever shall dismiss his wife, 
unless it be on account of whoredom, causeth her to com- 
mit adultery ; and whosoever shall marry the dismissed 
woman, committeth adultery." 



(v. 29.) Our Saviour here inculcates the necessity of renouncing 
all companies and occasions which may lead to such sins. 

(v. 32.) Polygamy had hitherto been tolerated among the Jews, 
(Jos. Ant. xviii. 1, de Bel. i. 24J and continued to be tolerated 
when Justin Martyr wrote, about the middle of the second cen- 
tury. "OrireQ kclI /J^XP 1 v * ,v K0LL TtGGUptQ kclI ttevte Byeiv v/jiag 
yovaiKag ekugtov ffvr^ojpova-iy. — Dial. p. 363. As long as such 
practice was allowed, there could be no question respecting the 
lawfulness or unlawfulness of marriage on the part of the man, 
after a divorce. He who could lawfully marry again while he 
kept his first wife, could certainly do the same after he had sent 
her away. This, therefore, is not the question here. Moses had 
permitted the Jews to divorce their wives for matter of unclean- 
ness, (Deut. xxiv. I) which permission the scribes and pharisees 
had extended to almost every pretence that might suggest itself to 
the husband. But our Saviour here does away with all those 
causes of divorce, except that of whoredom ; and pronounces, that 
in every other case, the divorcing husband incurs the guilt of all 
the sins which the divorced wife may commit, in consequence of 
the separation. 

C 2 



20 MATTHEW. 

33. " Again ye have heard that it was said to them of 
old, thou shalt not forswear thyself [Ex, xx. 7.), but shall 
render thine oaths to the Lord. 

34. But I say to you, swear not at all : neither by hea- 
ven, for it is the throne of God ; 

35. Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool, nor by Je- 
rusalem, for it is the city of the great king. 

36. Neither shalt thou swear by thine own head : for 
thou canst not make a single hair white or black. 

37. But let your speech be yea, yea; ox no, no. For 
whatever is more (than these), proceedeth of evil." 

38. " Ye have heard that it hath been said, eye for eye, 
and tooth for tooth. Ex. xxi. 24. 

39. But I say to you, not to stand up against the evil- 
doer : but, whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, 
turn to him the other also. 

40. And to him who will sue thee at law, and take 
from thee thine inner garment, leave to him the outer 
also. 



(v. 34.) That this is an absolute prohibition conveyed in the 
plainest language, there can be no doubt; and it is amusing to 
consider the ingenious devices by which commentators have 
sought to escape from it. But what is the fact ? It was a law 
which our blessed Lord, for reasons best known to himself, imposed 
on the Jewish converts. But the apostles, under the guidance of 
the holy spirit, taught that it did not bind the churches of the 
Gentiles to the same extent. This is plain from tradition, from 
which we deduce the fact. 

(v. 38, 39.) The precept here given by our Lord not only for- 
bids revenge, but orders us to concede to the evil-doer the double 
of what his injustice demands. Is there an individual who believes 
himself bound to obey this precept to its full extent ? I imagine 
not. Yet the evangelist, from his language, must have considered 
those for whom he wrote to be so bound, or else he must have 
been aware that his readers would derive, from some additional 
source, the knowledge how far, and in what circumstances, they 
would be obliged by it. 



MATTHEW. 21 

41. And whosoever shall force thee to go one mile, go 
with him other two. 

42. To him who asketh thee, give ; and from him, who 
would borrow of thee, turn thee not away." 

43. " Ye have heard that it was said, tJiou shalt love 
thy neighbour [Lev. xix. 18.), and shalt hate thine enemy. 

44. But I say to you love your enemies, bless them who 
curse you, do good to them who hate you, and pray for 
them who slander you, and persecute you. 

45. That you may become children of your father, who 
is in heaven : for he maketh his sun to rise on bad and 
good, and raineth on righteous and unrighteous. 

46. For if ye love them who love you, what reward 
take ye ? Do not the very tax gatherers do the same ? 

47. And if ye salute your brethren only, what more 
(than usual) do ye ? Do not the very heathen do so ? 

48. Be ye therefore perfect, as your father, that is in 
heaven, is perfect." 



CHAPTER VI. 

CONTINUATION OF THE SAME. 

1. " Take heed that ye practise not your religious duties 
before men, in order to be seen of them, otherwise ye take 
no reward from your father that is in heaven." 

(v. 46.) The tax-gatherer was a most odious character to the 
Jews ; first, because he was an officer appointed to collect the taxes 
imposed by the idolatrous Romans, their conquerors ; secondly, 
because, as he farmed these taxes, he had often recourse to injus- 
tice and extortion. 

{v. 1.) Religions duties — SiKaio<rvvr)v — justitiam. The sequel 
shews, that under this term are comprehended alms, prayer, and 
fasting. The k\er)iioovvr)v of the present Greek text, is plainly a 
mistake for the %iKaio<ivvr\v of the copy used by the Latin trans- 
lator. 



22 MATTHEW. 

2. " When therefore thou givest alms, sound not a trum- 
pet before thee, as do the hypocrites in the synagogues, 
and the thoroughfares, that they may be honoured of men. 
Verily I say to you, they take with them their reward. 

3. But when thou givest alms, let not thy left hand 
know what thy right hand doeth. 

4. That thine alms may be in secret ; and thy father, 
who beholdeth what is secret, will repay thee." 

5. " And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be like the 
hypocrites : for they love to pray standing in the synago- 
gues and the corners of the public places, that they may 
be seen of men. Verily I say to you, that they take with 
them their reward. 

6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter thy closet, and, 
shutting the door, pray to thy father in secret, and thy 
father, who beholdeth what is secret, will repay thee. 

7. And when ye are at prayer, gabble not like the 
heathen ; for they think that they shall be heard in 
consideration of their wordiness. 

8. Be not ye, therefore, like unto them. For your 
father knoweth what things ye need, before ye ask him. 

9. Thus then shall ye pray. 



{v. 4.) In secret — \v rib tcpvirra — in abscondito. In this verse 
respecting alms, the Greek and Latin agree. But in the sixth, 
respecting prayer, while we read the same in Latin, we find in 
many Greek manuscripts ru ev rS /cpu7rr6), referring the secrecy 
to the omnipresence of God, and not to the duty of prayer. Again, 
in verse 18, we have the additional article in the Greek, and a 
translation of it in the Latin— qui est in abscondito. It seems 
plain, however, that originally the expression was the same in all 
the three verses, and in that hypothesis there can be no doubt of 
the true reading in all : that of verse 4 makes perfect sense in the 
other two places ; but the additional r<o cannot be introduced into 
verse 4. I have therefore omitted it in the version of verses 6 
and 18. 



MATTHEW. 23 

10. Our father, that art in heaven, hallowed be thy 
name ; thy kingdom come ; thy will be done on earth as 
it is in heaven. 

11. Give us this day our daily bread. 

12. And forgive us our debts as we also forgive our 
debtors. 

13. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us 
from evil. Amen. 

14. For, if ye forgive men their trespasses, your hea- 
venly father will also forgive you. 

15. But, if ye do not forgive men their trespasses, your 
heavenly father will not forgive you your trespasses. 1 ' 

16. "Moreover, when ye fast, be not of rueful counte- 
nance like the hypocrites : for they disfigure their faces, 
that to men they may appear fasting. Verily I say to you ? 
that they take with them their reward. 

17. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head, and 
wash thy face. 

18. That thou mayst appear fasting, not to men, but 
to thy father in secret, and thy father, who beholdeth 
what is secret, will repay thee. 1 ' 

19. " Treasure not up for yourselves treasureupon the 
earth, where moth and canker consume, and thieves break 
through and steal. 

{v. 10.) Thy kingdom come. To his hearers our Lord had 
announced his kingdom as near at hand. They were to pray for 
its immediate establishment. Now that it is come, we are to pray 
for its establishment everywhere,, and in all hearts. 

{v. 16.) Disfigure — a^avi^aai — exterminant. The words 
mean, to make to disappear. I have therefore rendered it dis- 
figure. 

(v. 19-21.) This is a very proper admonition to all, but was 
peculiarly applicable to those of the disciples who were called upon 
to renounce all right to property, and to rely on providence. 



24 MATTHEW. 

20. But treasure up for yourselves treasure in heaven, 
where neither moth nor canker consumeth, and where 
thieves neither break through nor steal. 

21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart 
also be." 

22. "The lamp of the body is the eye. If then thine 
eye be clear, thy whole body will be lightsome. 

23. But if thine eye be naught, thy whole body will be 
darksome. If then the light which is in thee, is darkness, 
how great will the darkness be ? " 

24. " No man can serve two lords. For either he will 
hate the one and love the other ; or he will hold fast to 
the one, and set at naught the other. You cannot serve 
God and Mammon. 

25. Wherefore I say to you, trouble not yourselves about 
your life what ye may eat, nor about your body what ye 
may put on. Is not life of more value than food, and the 
body than raiment ? 

26. Behold the fowls of the air, that they sow not, 
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Yet your 
heavenly father feedeth them. Are not ye of greater value 
in comparison with them? 

27. Who is there among you, that, trouble himself as 
he may, can add a single span to his age ? 

(v. 22, 23.) " If that religious knowledge which is to guide thee 
be erroneous, thou must walk in darkness." Such was the know- 
ledge which the scribes and pharisees imparted to their disciples. 

(v. 27.) Can add a single span to his age — kirl ti)v TfXiKtav 
dvrov -Kfiyyvzva — ad staturam suam c libitum unum. The Greek 
will bear either the English or the Latin version. The question 
therefore is, which of the two will harmonize best with our 
Saviour's reasoning. He has divided his subject into two parts — 
the life and food, and the body and raiment. He is at present 
treating of the first, from which he passes to the second in verse 



MATTHEW. 



O-S 



28. And about raiment why trouble ye yourselves ? 
Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow. They toil 
not, neither do they spin. 

29. Yet, I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his 
glory was arrayed as one of them. 

30. If then the herbage of the field, which to-day is, 
and to-morrow will be cast into the oven, God doth clothe 
in this wise, how much more you, O ye of little trust. 

31. Then trouble not yourselves with cares, saying, 
what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith 
shall we be clothed, 

32. — For all these are things after which the Gen- 
tiles inquire eagerly : — whereas your heavenly father 
knoweth that of all these things ye have need. 

33. But seek ye first the ' kingdom of God ' and his 
ordinances, and all these things shall be given to you 
over and above. 

34. Then trouble not yourselves with cares for the mor- 
row: because the morrow will take care for itself. Suffi- 
cient for the dav is the trouble thereof." 



28. " Rely," lie says, " for food on the providence of God. 
God gives life to the birds, and provides food for the support of 
that life. Will he not do as much for you ? Did you, indeed, 
derive life from yourselves, ye might be anxious for the means of 
preserving it. But who among you can do as much as add a 
single span to your life ?" Taken in this sense, the whole coheres : 
adopt the Latin translation, and it will be difficult to conceive how 
it applies. 

(v. 33.) His ordinances — cu/ccuoowrjv — justitiam. Here, as in 
the first verse, the word means that religious service which God 
requires of us. See Luke i. 6, 75 ; Acts x. 35 ; 1 John iii. 7. 
The promise which follows was fully verified in the first church of 
Jerusalem, where all things were in common. 

In verse 33, and three other places in this gospel, we meet with 
the kingdom of God ; in more than thirty passages with the king- 
dom of heaven. Was the alteration here accidental on the part of 
the Evangelist, or of his Greek translator, who might occasionally 
be betrayed, without noticing it, into the use of his native idiom ? 



26 MATTHEW. 

CHAPTER VII. 

THE CONCLUSION. 

1. " Judge not, that ye be not judged. 

2. For in whatsoever manner ye judge, with that judge- 
ment shall ye be judged ; and as ye mete, with that mea- 
sure shall it be meted to you again. 

3. And why seest thou the mote which is in thy bro- 
ther's eye, and yet art not aware of the beam which is in 
thine own eye ? 

4. Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, ' hold, I will 
draw the mote out of thine eye,' when, behold, there is a 
beam in thine own eye ? 

5. Thou hypocrite, draw first the beam out of thine own 
eye, and then thou wilt see to draw the mote out of thy 
brother's eye." 

6. " Give not that which is holy to dogs ; and cast not 
your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under 
their feet, and turn and gore you." 

7. " Ask, and they shall give to you ; seek, and ye 
shall find ; knock, and they shall open to you. 

8. For everyone who asketh, receiveth; and who seek- 
eth, findeth ; and who knocketh, hath the door opened to 
him. 



(v. 6.) In obedience to this injunction, the ancient Christians 
concealed, as much as possible, their doctrines from the know- 
ledge of the Pagans ; and so far did they carry their precautions, 
that the catechumens, when they were instructed in the articles of 
the apostles' creed, preparatory to baptism, were forbidden to write 
down such instructions, lest they should fall under the eyes of the 
profane: Ne non reservetur credulis ad vitam, sed prodatur per- 
fidis ad ruinam. 5. Chrysol. Serm. 56, 57, 59, 60, 61; or, as 
Clemens Alexandrinussays, fjir} -n-at^l /ja^aipaj/ opiyovrtQEvptfiwiitv. 
Strom. 276. See also Hardvin, Con. i. 579. 



MATTHEW. 27 

9. Or what man is there among you that, if his son 
ask him for bread, will give him a stone ; 

10. Or if he ask him for fish, will give him a serpent? 

11. Now if ye, evil as ye are, know how to give good 
gifts unto your children, how much more will your 
father, who is in heaven, give good things to them that 
ask him." 

12. " All things therefore, whatsoever ye would that 
men should do to you, so do ye to them, for this is the 
law and the prophets." 

13. " Go ye in at the narrow gate : for wide is the 
gate, and broad the way, that leadeth to destruction, and 
many are they that go in thereat. 

14. But straight is the gate, and narrow the way, that 
leadeth to life, and few are they that find it." 

15. " Beware of false teachers, who come to you in 
the garb of sheep, but under it are ravenous wolves. 

16. By their fruits shall ye know them. Do men 
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles ? 

17. Even so, every good tree yieldeth good fruit, and 
every evil tree yieldeth evil fruit. 

18. A good tree cannot yield evil fruit, nor an evil tree 
yield good fruit. 

19. Every tree that yieldeth not good fruit, is hewn 
down, and cast into the fire. 

20. Therefore by their fruits shall ye know them. 

21. It is not every one who sayeth to me, Lord, Lord, 
that shall enter into the kingdom of heaven ; but whoso- 
ever doeth the will of my father who is in heaven, that 
man shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. 

[v. 15.) See 1 John iv. 1. 



28 MATTHEW. 

22. Many will say to me on that day : ' Lord, Lord, 
have we not announced the word in thy name, and cast 
out fiends in thy name, and wrought many mighty works 
in thy name ?' 

23. And then will I affirm to them : ' I never owned 
you. Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity.' " 

24. " Every one then, who heareth these my lessons, 
and practisetb them, I will liken him to a provident man, 
who built his house upon the rock. 

25. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and they beat upon that house ; but it fell 
not, for it was founded on the rock. 

26. And every one that heareth these my lessons, and 
doth not practise them, he shall be likened to a foolish 
man, that built his house upon the sand. 

27. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the 
winds blew, and they beat upon that house ; and it fell, 
and great was the fall thereof." 

28. Now it happened, that when Jesus had ended 
these discourses, the multitudes were in amazement at his 
manner of teaching. 

29. For he taught them as one having authority, and 
not as their scribes and the pharisees. 

(v. 22.) Lord — Kvpu — Domine. Much has been written re- 
specting the proper translation of this word. When, as in this 
passage, it is applied to Jesus as the Messiah, I shall translate it, 
Lord. When it is applied to him as a prophet, invested with 
supernatural powers by God, I shall use the same word, though in 
a less dignified sense, because it was given by an inferior to a 
superior, as in the next chapter, verses 2, 5, 7. But when it is 
applied to him merely as a compliment by one who knew not who 
he was, 1 shall render it " Sir" as John iv. 11 ; v. 7 ; xx. 15. 

[v. 28.) From the beginning of the fifth chapter some have 
supposed that our Lord delivered this discourse to his disciples 
apart from the multitude; but this verse shews, that though he 
chiefly addressed himself to the former, it was in the hearing of 
the latter. 



MATTHEW. 29 



CHAPTER VIII. 



HE CONFIRMETH HIS DOCTRINE WITH MIRACLES. 

1. But as he came down from the mountain, great 
multitudes followed him. 

2. And hehold a leper cometh, and worshippeth him, 
saying : " Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." 

3. And Jesus, stretching forth his hand, touched him, 
saying : " I will it ; be thou clean." And immediately 
his leprosy was cleansed. 

4. And Jesus sayeth to him : " Take heed thou tell no 
one, but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer 
the gift which Moses commanded, for a proof to them." 
— Lev. xiv. 2. 

5. As Jesus entered Capharnaum, there came to him 
a centurion, who besought him, saying : " Lord, a page 
of mine lieth in my house paralytic, and in grievous pain." 

6. And Jesus sayeth : " I will go and heal him." 

7. But the centurion said in answer: " Lord, I am not 
worthy that thou enter under my roof; but speak only a 
word, and my page will be healed. 

8. For I also am a man under command, and have sol- 
diers under me. And I say to one, e go,' and he goeth ; 



(v. 4.) The leper, before he could again mix in society, was to 
be furnished with a certificate from the priest that he was healed. 
Lev. xiv. 2. Our Saviour's prohibition to him, Speak to no man, 
might have for its object to enforce obedience to this regulation. 
But similar prohibitions occur so frequently, that it is probable he 
had some other object, unknown to us, in view. 

(v. 5.) Page — rralg — puer. That he was a favourite slave, one 
in the house and attendant on his master, there can be no doubt. 
(See Luke vii. 2, 7.) I have rendered it page, as less likely to 
deceive the English reader than servant. 



30 MATTHEW. 

and to another, * come,' and he cometh ; and to my slave, 
' do this,' and he doeth it." 

9. And Jesus, hearing this, wondered, and said to those 
who followed him : 

10. " Verily I say to you, I have not found so great 
faith, even in Israel. 

11. But I say to you, that many will come from the 
east and from the west, and lie down at table with Abra- 
ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. 

12. But the children of the kingdom will be cast forth 
into the darkness without. There shall be the weeping 
and the gnashing of teeth." 

13. And Jesus said to the centurion : " Go thy way, 
and be it done to thee according to thy faith." And his 
page was healed at that very moment. 

14. Then Jesus going into Peter's house, saw his wife's 
sister lying sick of a fever. 

15. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her, 
and she rose and ministered to them. 

16. In the evening, they brought to him many demo- 
niacs, and he cast out the spirits with a word, and healed 
all the diseased ; 

(v. 10.) So great faith. We shall often hear our Saviour state 
that he works the miracle in reward of the faith of the petitioner; 
on which occasions we are to understand by faith a firm reliance 
on his power and compassion, — an unshaken confidence that he was 
both able and willing to grant relief. 

(v. 11.) It should be remembered that the Jews at this period 
did not sit at table, but lay on couches, with their heads towards it. 

(v. 12.) The children of the kingdom. The Jews, to whom 
the promise of the kingdom had been made. 

(Ibid.) The darkness without — to (tkotoq to e^repov — tenebroe 
exteriores. This expression is peculiar to St. Matthew. It seems 
to allude to the darkness which prevailed without, in opposition to 
the light of the hall in which the banquet was served. 



MATTHEW. 31 

17. So as to accomplish the word spoken by Isaias the 
prophet, when he said : He took our infirmities, and bare 
our diseases. — Is. liii. 4. 

18. Now Jesus, seeing much people about him, gave 
orders to cross over to the other coast. 

19. But a certain scribe accosting him, said : " Master, 
I will follow thee whithersoever thou mayest be going." 

20. And Jesus sayeth to him : " The foxes have their 
burrows, and the birds of heaven their places of shelter ; 
but the son of man hath not wherein to lay his head." 

21. And another of his disciples said to him : " Mas- 
ter, suffer me first to go and bury my father." 

22. But Jesus said to him : " Follow me ; and leave 
the dead to bury their dead." 



{v. 17.) The real meaning of this prophecy is given by St. 
Peter, 1 Pet. iv. 24. Here the Evangelist merely applies the 
passage in Isaiah to the conduct of our Saviour. It is the same as 
if he had written, " To this may be applied the words spoken by 
the prophet." It marks not the real accomplishment of a pro- 
phecy, but the appositeness of a quotation. 

(v. 20.) The son of man. This is an appellation addressed by 
God, in the Scripture, to the prophet Daniel once, and more than 
ninety times to the prophet Ezekiel. Our Saviour sometimes 
calls himself the son of God, but much more frequently the son of 
man ; and though there is no instance of his being addressed 
under that title by others, during his mission, he appears to have 
been designated by it among his disciples, after his ascension. 
(See Acts vii. 56.) On what account he was so called, the Evan- 
gelists have not noticed ; probably because it was well known 
among those for whom they wrote : but that our Saviour meant 
himself in the quality of Messiah to be understood by it, is plain 
from several passages: Mark ix. 12; Luke xviii. 31 ; xxiv. 26; 
perhaps because he was the seed promised to our first parents, 
Gen. iii. 15, and therefore most emphatically " the son of man, or 
Adam ;" perhaps from allusion to Daniel vii. 13, where the pro- 
phet sees " one like the (or a) son of man come with the clouds of 
heaven, to whom was given dominion, and glory, and a kingdom ; 
that all people, and nations, and languages should serve him." 



82 MATTHEW. 

23. Now he entered the bark, and his disciples followed 
him. 

24. When behold, there happened a great storm in the 
sea, so that the bark was covered with the waves ; but he 
was asleep. 

25. And his disciples going, awaked him, and said : 
" Master, save us ; we are perishing." 

26. And he sayeth to them : " Why are ye afraid, O 
ye of little trust ?" and then, rising up, he rebuked the 
winds and the sea, and there came a great calm. 

27. But the men wondered, and said : " What manner 
of man is this, for the very winds and the sea obey him?" 

28. And when he had crossed over into the land of the 
Gerasenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out from 
among the tombs ; men so very furious, that no one could 
travel by that road. 

29. And behold they cried out in these words : " What 
hast thou to do with us, Jesus, son of God ? Art thou 
come here before the time to torment us ?" 

30. Now there was feeding not far from them a herd of 
many swine. 

31. And the fiends besought him, saying: " If thou 
cast us out, suffer us to go into the herd of swine." 

32. And he said to them : " Get you gone." And they 
went out, and entered into the herd of swine. And 
behold, the whole herd of swine rushed down the preci- 
pice into the sea, and perished in the waters. 

[v. 29.) Did they know who he was ? or did they, by giving 
him this title, seek to discover his real character, as in the tempta- 
tion in the wilderness ? 

(v. 30.) Feeding not far. This is the reading in the vulgate. 
The present Greek text omits the negation. The learned reader 
will observe that I frequently prefer the Latin to the Greek text. 

(r. 32.) The destruction of the swine has given birth to many 



MATTHEW. 33 

33. But the swineherds fled, and going into the town, 
they told all (these) things, and the case of the demoniacs. 

34. And behold the whole town came out to meet 
Jesus ; and when they saw him, they besought him to 
depart out of their district. 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE CALL OF ST. MATTHEW. 

1. And having gone into a bark, he crossed over, and 
came to his own town. 

2. And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying 
on a couch. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the 
paralytic : " Son, be of good heart ; thy sins are forgiven 
thee." 

3. And behold, certain of the scribes said within them- 
selves : " This man blasphemeth." 

4. And Jesus seeing their thoughts, said : " Why do 
ye think evil in your hearts ? 

5. Which is the more easy to say, thy sins are forgiven 
thee, or to say, arise and walk away ? 

6. But to the end ye may know that the son of man 
hath the power of forgiving sins upon earth, ' Rise.' " 



questions, to which plausible answers have been returned. This 
at least is plain from the simplicity of the narrative, that the 
Evangelist himself anticipated no such questions on the part of 
those for whom he was writing. All our objections arise from our 
ignorance of the habits of the Gerasines, and of the particular 
circumstances of the case. That the people themselves were con- 
scious of some kind of guilt, may perhaps be inferred from their 
request to Jesus that he would leave their country. See Luke 
viii. 31. 

(v. 1.) His own town, that is Capharnaum, which is so called 
because he had previously left Nazareth, and fixed his dwelling at 
Capharnaum. Matt. iv. 13. 

D 



34 MATTHEW. 

Then sayeth he to the paralytic : " Take up thy couch, 
and go to thy home." 

7. And he rose, and went away to his home. 

8. But the people seeing it, were in amazement, and 
glorified God, who had given such power to men. 

9. And Jesus, passing on from thence, saw a man, 
called Matthew, sitting at the toll-office, and said to him : 
" Follow thou me." And he rose, and followed him. 

10. Now it happened, that while he lay at table in the 
house, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came, and 
took their places with Jesus and his disciples. 

11. And the pharisees, noticing it, said to his disci- 
ples : " Why doth your master eat with tax-gatherers 
and sinners ?" 

12. But Jesus, hearing it, said to them : " The healthy 
need not the physician, but the sick. 

13. But go, and learn the meaning of the passage : I 
love works of mercy, and not sacrifice ; (Osee vi. 6 J for 
I did not come to call righteous men, but sinners." 

14. Then came to him the disciples of John, saying : 
" Why do we and the pharisees fast often, but your dis- 
ciples fast not ?" 

15. And Jesus said to them : " Can the companions of 
the bridegroom mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with 



{y. 15.) Companions of the bridegroom — bt viol tov vv/jLtptovoQ — 
sons of the bride-chamber — filii sponsi. Both expressions mean 
the companions of the bridegroom, who were invited to rejoice and 
feast with him. The question here is not respecting the fasts 
enjoined by the law, but spontaneous fasting, such as was practised 
by the pharisees under the pretence of superior sanctity, and by 
the disciples of John, in imitation of the austere life of their teacher. 
Does then our Saviour disapprove of spontaneous fasting ? Cer- 
tainly not. He had already made, in its favour, the same pro- 



MATTHEW. 35 

them ? But the days will come, when the bridegroom 
will be taken from them, and then shall they fast. 

16. No man putteth a piece of unfulled cloth in an old 
garment, for the patch teareth from the garment, and a 
worse rent is made. 

17. Nor do they put new wine into old skins, other- 
wise the skins burst, and the wine runneth out, and the 
skins become useless. But they put new wine into new 
skins, and both are preserved." 

18. As he was speaking these things to them, behold, 
a certain ruler coming, worshipped him, and said : " My 
daughter is this moment dead ; but come, lay thy hand 
upon her, and she will live." 

19. And Jesus rose, and followed him, and (so did) his 
disciples. 

20. And behold, a woman with an issue of blood of 
twelve years, coming behind, touched the tuft of his 
cloak. 

21. For she said within herself: " If I touch only his 
cloak, I shall be healed." 

22. But Jesus turning, saw her, and said : " Be of good 
heart, daughter ; thy faith hath healed thee." And from 
that hour the woman was healed. 



mise which he had made in favour of alms and prayer, (vi. 18) and 
he here asserts, that it shall be practised by his disciples also, after 
his departure from them. 

Companions of the bridegroom. The disciples of John could 
not be at a loss to understand this expression. John had already, 
in their hearing, styled our Saviour the bridegroom, and himself 
the bridegroom § friend. John iii. 29. 

(v. 16.) No man putteth. See Luke v. 36. 

{v. 20.) The tuft. There were four corners to the cloak or 
outer garment, from each of which a tuft or tassel was suspended. 
Numb. xv. 37 ; Deut. xxii. 12. 

D 2 



36 MATTHEW. 

23. And Jesus going into the house of the ruler, and 
seeing the flute-players, and the crowd in an uproar, 

24. Said to them : " Go your ways, for the maid is not 
dead, but sleepeth." And they jeered at him. 

25. But when the crowd was put out, he entered, and 
took hold of her hand, and the maid arose. 

26. And the report thereof spread through all that 
country. 

27. And, as Jesus passed thence, two blind men fol- 
lowed him, crying out, and saying : " Thou son of David, 
have pity on us. 

28. And when he had entered the house, the blind 
men came to him, and he sayeth to them : " Do you 
believe that I can do this for you ?" They say to him : 
" Yea, Lord." 

29. Then he touched their eyes, saying : " Be it done 
to you according to your belief." 

30. And their eyes were opened. And Jesus charged 
them severely, saying : " Take care that no man knoweth." 

31. But they going out, spread his fame abroad in all 
that country. 

32. And as these men went out, lo, they brought to 
him one dumb, a demoniac. 

33. And when the fiend was cast out, the dumb man 
spake. And the crowds marvelled, saying : " Nothing 
like this was ever seen in Israel." 



{v. 30.) That no man knoweth. It would appear that he had 
some particular reason for the performance of this miracle in pri- 
vate. He had declined to heal them in public, but did it in the 
house, with an injunction not to publish that it was from him 
they received the benefit. 



MATTHEW. 37 

34. But the pharisees said : " It is through the prince 
of fiends that he casteth out fiends." 



35. And Jesus went round all the towns and villages, 
teaching in their synagogues, and announcing the good 
tidings of the kingdom, and healing every disease and 
infirmity. 

36. And seeing the multitudes, he had pity on them, 
because they were scattered and abandoned, like sheep 
that have no shepherd. 

37. Then he sayeth to his disciples : " The harvest 
indeed is plentiful, but the labourers are few. 

38. Pray ye therefore the lord of the harvest, that he 
send labourers into his harvest." 



CHAPTER X. 

THE MISSION OF THE APOSTLES. 

1. And calling to him his twelve disciples, he gave to 
them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and 
(power) to heal all manner of disease, and all manner of 
infirmity. 

2. Now of the twelve apostles the names are these : 



(v. 1.) Disease, and infirmity — v6(rov, /jLaXcudav — languorem et 
infirmitatem. The distinction between these words is constantly 
preserved, and, according to Theophylactus, consists in this — that 
the first points out a chronic disease, the other one that is not. 
Perhaps they might be rendered, all manner of disease, whether 
of longer or of shorter standing. 

{v. 2.) Apostles, or messengers sent by due authority. Peter. 
He is here called the first, not in number only, but in rank : 
6 ekXsktoq, 6 i^atperoQ, b -Kp&roQ. (Clem. Alex. Quis Dives) b 
TrpoKpiTos rwv cnroffroXioi'. (Pet. Alex. can. ix. xiii.J 6 Kopvtyawg. 
(S. Athan. in Ps. xv. comm. iii. Routh, Ret. Sac. iii. 358.) 



38 MATTHEW. 

the first Simon, he that is called Peter, and Andrew his 
brother ; James the son of Zebedeejand John his brother. 

3. Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas, and Matthew 
the tax-gatherer, James the son of Alphseus, and Thad- 
dseus. 

4. Simon the Cananite, and Judas the Iscariot, even 
he that betrayed him. 

5. These twelve Jesus sent as messengers, and charged 
them in these words : " Go ye not into the road of the 
Gentiles, and into a town of the Samaritans enter ye not. 

6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of 
Israel. 

7. And as ye go, announce in these words : ' the king- 
dom of heaven is at hand.'' 

8. Heal the sick, raise up the dead, cleanse the lepers, 
cast out fiends. Freely ye have received, freely give. 

9. Have not gold, nor silver, nor brass in your girdles. 

10. Nor scrip for your journey, nor another coat, nor 
pair of shoes, nor staff, for the labourer is deserving of his 
livelihood. 

11. And into whatsoever town or village ye may enter, 
inquire what worthy man is therein, and abide in that 
family till ye depart. 

12. And when ye enter a family, salute it, saying, 
* peace be to this family.' 

13. .And, if the family be worthy, your peace shall 
come upon it, but if it be not worthy, your peace shall 
return to you. 

(v. 4.) The Cananite, probably a native of Cana of Galilee. 
Iscariot, probably a native of Kerioth, in the tribe of Juda. Josh. 
xv. 25. See Mark iii. 18 ; Luke vi. 15. 

(v. 5.) axl^EiXe—he sent as messengers. * I have translated it 
thus, because it is the root of the word apostle. 

(Ibid.) The road of the Gentiles. The country of the Gen- 
tiles. See c. iv. v. 15. 



MATTHEW. 39 

14. But whosoever doth not receive you, nor hearken 
to your words, going out of that family or town, shake 
off the dust from your feet. 

15. Verily, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for 
the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment 
than for that town." 

16. " Behold I send you forth as sheep in the midst of 
wolves : be ye therefore wary as serpents and guileless 
as doves. 

17. But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to 
the councils, and will scourge you in their synagogues. 

18. And ye will be led before governors and kings for 
my sake, to be a testimony unto them and to the Gentiles. 

19. But when they deliver you up, trouble not your- 
selves with the thought, how or what ye shall speak, 
for it shall be given to you in that hour, what ye may 
speak. 

20. For it is not ye that are the speakers, but the 
spirit of your father that speaketh in you." 

21. " The brother will deliver the brother up to death, 
and the father the child, and the children will rise against 
their parents, and put them to death. 

22. And ye will be hated of all men on account of my 
name : yet he, who endureth to the end, he shall be saved. 

23. And when they shall persecute you in one town, 
flee ye to another, verily, I say to you, ye will not have 



(v. 21, 22, 23.) These verses regard the persecution of the 
Hebrew Christians previously to the destruction of Jerusalem, 
The apostles and their fellow ministers are told to flee from town 
to town from their enemies, and assured, at the same time, that 
before they should be driven in this manner through all the towns 
of Israel, their deliverance would come. 



40 MATTHEW. 

made the circuit of the towns of Israel till the son of 
man come." 

24. " The scholar is not above his teacher, nor the bond- 
man above his lord. 

25. The scholar should be satisfied, if he be like to his 
teacher, and the bondman, if he be like to his lord. If they 
have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how 
much more those of his household. 

26. Then fear them not : for nothing is covered, which 
shall not be uncovered ; nothing hidden which shall not 
be made known. 

'- 27. What I say to you in darkness, say ye in the light : 
and what ye hear in a whisper, announce from the house 
tops. 

28. And fear not them who kill the body, but cannot 
kill the soul : fear rather him that is able to destroy both 
body and soul in hell. 

29. Are not two sparrows sold for one penny ? Yet not 
one of them shall fall to the ground without your father. 

(v. 23.) Till the son of man come. The coining of the son of 
man, and the coming of his kingdom, and his coining in his king- 
dom, all three mean the same thing — that is, the manifestation of 
that kingly authority, which was conferred on him at his ascension 
into heaven. Two such manifestations are referred to in the gos- 
pels — one on the day of Pentecost, when he began upon earth 
that reign of which there will he no end ; when his kingdom was 
made manifest by the descent of the Holy Ghost, and when he 
came in his kingdom, by investing his ministers with all that 
authority and those gifts and graces requisite for the due administra- 
tion of their respective offices : secondly, at the destruction of 
Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews, when he also came in 
his kingdom, and manifested his kingly authority by the punish- 
ment of a disobedient and rebellious people. Perhaps it would be 
an improvement, if, in some passages, fiacnXeia were translated 
sovereignty, instead of kingdom. 

(v. 27.) In a ivhisper. In the original, in the ear. 

(v. 29.) For an assarion, in value about three farthings. 



MATTHEW. 41 

30. But of you even all the hairs of the head have been 
numbered. 

31. Then fear ye not : ye are of more worth than many 
sparrows. 

32. Wherefore every one, that shall own me before men, 
I will also own him before my father that is in heaven. 

33. But whosoever shall disown me before men, I will 
also disown him before my father that is in heaven." 

34. (i Think not that I came to bring peace on the earth : 
I came not to bring peace but the sword. 

35. I came to set a man at variance with his father, 
and a daughter with her mother, and a bride with her 
mother-in-law. 

36. And a man's enemies will be those of his own 
household. 

37. He that loveth father or mother more than me, is 
not worthy of me ; and he that loveth son or daughter 
more than me, is not w r orthy of me. 

38. And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth 
not after me, is not worthy of me. 

39. He that saveth his life, shall lose it : and he that 
loseth his life for my sake, shall save it. 



(v. 34.) Came to bring peace. The reader will observe, that 
this form of expression, which with us points out the intention of 
the agent, marks only the consequence of the act in the language 
of the evangelists. See c. iv. v. I. 

(v. 38.) The cross was not a Jewish, but a Roman punishment. 
The allusion is therefore to his own death, and the lesson which it 
inculcates is, that his disciples should be ready to suffer death for 
him, as he suffered it for them. 

(v. 39.) Life. The word in the original — isv^riv — means both 
life and soul, and is used by our Lord alternately in each mean- 
ing. The passage may be paraphrased thus : " He who disowns 
me to save his life, shall lose his soul ; but he who loseth his life 
for me, shall save his soul." 



42 MATTHEW. 

40. He that receiveth you, receiveth me, and he that 
receiveth me, receiveth him who sent me. 

41. He that receiveth a prophet, because he is a pro- 
phet, shall receive the reward of a prophet : and he that 
receiveth a righteous man, because he is a righteous 
man, shall receive the reward of a righteous man. 

42. Whosoever shall give a cup of cold water to quench 
the thirst of one of these little ones, because he is a 
disciple, verily I say to you, he shall not lose his reward." 



CHAPTER XI. 

OF THE BAPTIST, AND THE INCREDULITY OF 
THE JEWS. 

1. Now it came to pass that, when Jesus had ended 
the instructions to his twelve disciples, he departed 
thence, that he might teach and announce in the towns. 

2. And John, having heard in prison of the works of 
the Messiah, sent two of his disciples, 

3. And said to him, " art thou he that was to come, or 
are we to expect another ?" 

4. And Jesus made them this answer : " Go, and carry 
back to John, what you hear and behold. 

(v. 3.) He that was to come. The allusion is manifestly to 
Psdlm cviii. 26, which was interpreted of the Messiah. " The one 
about to come," was one of the designations under which he was 
known to the Jews. 

But did not John know, by revelation, that Jesus was the Mes- 
siah ? Why then did he now make the enquiry, as if he doubted ? 
It has been answered, that the enquiry was made, not for his own 
satisfaction, but for that of his disciples. But this is hardly to be 
reconciled with v. 3, where the inquiry is referred to John himself, 
and with v. 4, where the answer is also directed to John, and not 
to his disciples. Other solutions have been devised : the most 
probable in my opinion is, that John in prison became impatient 
for the establishment of the kingdom of the Messiah ; that he won- 
dered why our Saviour spent so much time in teaching and per- 
forming miracles in Galilee, instead of claiming the kingdom in 



MATTHEW. 43 

5. The blind see again, the lame walk about, the lepers 
are cleansed ; the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the 
poor have the good tidings announced to them. Is. lxi. 6. 

6. And happy is the man who ' findeth no cause of 
offence in me.' " 

7. But, when they were gone, Jesus began to speak to 
the people respecting John ; " What went ye out into the 
wilderness to see ? A reed shaken by the wind ? 

8. But what did ye go out to see ? A man clothed in 
soft raiment ? behold, they that wear soft raiment are in 
the houses of kings. 

9. But what did ye go out to see ? A prophet ? Yea, 
I say to you, even something more than a prophet. 

10. For he is the man of whom it was written : behold, 
I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare 
thy way before thee. Mai. iii. 1. 

11. Verily I say to you, among the born of woman, a 
greater than John the baptist hath not risen : yet he that 
is lesser in the kingdom of heaven, is greater than he. 

12. But from the days of John the Baptist until now 
' the kingdom of heaven' is entered by force ; and it is 
by force that men make it their own. 



Jerusalem ; and that to relieve himself from this perplexity, he 
sent to ask the question. And this supposition is strengthened by 
the conclusion of our Saviour's answer, {v. 6) which seems to imply 
some disapprobation of the message sent by the baptist. 

{v. 5.) The blind see. It appears from Luke vii. 20, that 
before our Saviour gave this answer, he performed several mira- 
cles in the presence of the messengers. His words refer to Isaias 
xxxv. 5, 6, and Ix. 1, which passages were interpreted of the Mes- 
siah ; so that his meaning could not be misunderstood. 

(v. 11, 12.) The object of these verses appears to be, to point 
out the superiority of the Christian over the Mosaic dispensation. 
The latter was only a preparation for the other ; and the baptist, 
the greatest functionary in it, was inferior, in that respect, to the 
apostles, the ministers under Christ in his kingdom. 



44 MATTHEW. 

13. For all the prophets and the law were your in- 
structors until John. 

14. And, if ye will bear to hear it, he is the Elias who 
was about to come. 

15. He that hath ears to hear, let hirn hear." 

16. "But to what thing shall I liken this present race? 
It is like unto children sitting in the market place, and 
calling out to their playmates, 

17. In these words, ' We have piped to you on the flute, 
and ye have not danced : we have sung the song of 
mourning, and ye have not beaten your breasts.' 

18. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and 
they say, ' he hath a fiend. 1 

19. The son of man came eating and drinking, and 
they say, ' behold a glutton and a wine-bibber, a friend 
of tax-gatherers and sinners.' And the wisdom (of God) 
hath been proved righteous by her children." 

20. And then he began to upbraid the towns, where 
most of his mighty works were wrought, because they 
had not repented. 

(v. 12.) By force make it their own — apircifeai — rapuint. The 
allusion is to those who seize by force, and appropriate the spoil 
to themselves. From the more copious narrative of St. Luke, 
(xvi. 16) it appears that our Saviour is speaking of the higher 
classes among the Jews, who yielded not to the call to repentance 
made to them by the baptist, but were deterred by the sacrifices 
which that repentance required. Hence he says that the kingdom 
is entered by force, because it required more resolution of mind 
than would fall to the lot of many. 

{v. 18.) The resemblance consists in this — that as the children 
could not be roused from indolence by cheerful or mournful 
music, so the pharisees and leading men among the Jews could 
not be drawn to repentance, either by the austerity of the baptist, 
or the condescension of the Saviour. See Luke vii. 29, note. 
Thus their obduracy proved the righteousness of God, in his sub- 
sequent dealings with them. 



MATTHEW. 45 

21. (t Wo to thee Corozain, wo to thee Bethsaida: for, 
had the wonders wrought in you, been wrought in Tyre 
and Sidon, long ago had they repented in sackcloth and 
ashes. 

22. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre 
and Sidon in the day of judgement than for you. 

23. And thou Capharnaum, raised as thou art up to 
heaven, thou shalt be plunged down into hell ; for had 
the wonders wrought in thee, been wrought in Sodom, it 
would perhaps have endured unto this day. 

24. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable unto the 
land of Sodom in the day of judgement than to thee. 1 ' 

25. At that time Jesus took occasion to say : " I give 
praise to thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because 
thou hast hidden these things from the wise and the 
learned, and hast revealed them to little ones. 

26. Yea, father, (I praise thee) because such hath been 
thy good pleasure. 

27. All things have been delivered to me by my father. 
And no one but the father knoweth the son ; nor doth 
any one know the father but the son, and he to whom 
it may please the son to reveal it. 

(v. 21.) Repented in sackcloth and ashes. This passage proves 
that the repentance preached by our Saviour and his precursor, 
did not consist merely in reformation of conduct. Sackcloth and 
ashes were no part of such reformation. They were the signs of 
sorrow and affliction of spirit, and are mentioned in this place, by 
allusion to the repentance of the Ninevites on the preaching of 
Jonas. 

[v. 23.) Raised as thou art up to heaven. Why should this 
be said of Capharnaum ? Perhaps because it had been distin- 
guished by our Lord above all other towns. He had made it the 
place of his abode, his own peculiar town, iliav ttoKlv. (ix. 1) 

(v. 27.) Knoweth, &c. The meaning is explained by the 
parallel passage in St. Luke : (x. 22) knoweth who the son is . . 
who the father is. 



4(3 MATTHEW. 

28. Come hither unto me all ye that faint under the 
yoke and the burthen, and I will give you rest ; 

29. Take my yoke upon you, and be taught of me, for 
I am meek and lowly of heart ; and ye will find rest for 
your souls : 

30. For my yoke is easy, and my burthen light." 



CHAPTER XII. 

DISPUTES WITH THE PHARISEES. 

1. About that time Jesus was walking through the 
fields of corn, on the sabbath day. Now his disciples 
were hungry, and began to pluck the ears and to eat. 

2. But the pharisees observing them, said to him : 
" Behold thy disciples are doing that which it is not law- 
ful to do on the sabbath day." 

3. And he said to them : " Have ye not read what 
David did, when he and his companions were hungered ? 

4. How he entered into the house of God, and ate the 
loaves of the presence, which it was not lawful for him 
or his, but for the priests only, to eat ? (1 Kings xxi. 4. 
Lev. xxiv. 9.) 

5. Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath 



(v. 28.) Faint, &c. — 6i kottkZvteq kcii 7r£(popricrf.iijwi — qui labo- 
ratis et onerati estis. From the whole passage, allusion is plainly 
made to animals, whose strength is spent under the yoke or the 
burthen. To preserve it, I have translated as in the text. Had 
I rendered ye who labour, the allusion would have been lost, and 
with it the propriety of the following exhortation to take up the 
yoke of Christ, and to learn from him, instead of bearing the yoke 
imposed by the pharisees. 

[v. 1.) Permission to do this was granted in Deut. xxiii. 25. 
The sabbath began on Friday at sunset, and lasted till sunset the 
next day. 



MATTHEW. 47 

day the priests in the temple break the sabbath rest, and 
yet are blameless ? (Lev. xxiv. 5. Num. xxviii. 9.) 

6. Now T say to you, that one greater than the temple 
is here. 

7. But if ye had known the meaning of the passage, 
I love works of mercy and not sacrifice, {Osee. vi. 6.) ye 
would not have condemned the blameless. 

8. For the son of man is lord even of the sabbath." 

9. And when he had departed thence, he came into 
their synagogue. 

10. And behold there was there a man with a withered 
hand ; and they asked him, saying, " Is it lawful to heal 
on the sabbath day," with the design to accuse him. 

11. And he said to them, " What man is there among 
you who, having a single sheep, if it fall into a pit on 
tbe sabbath day, will not lay hold of it and lift it out ? 

12. Now, how much more valuable is a man than a 
sheep ? Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the sabbath 
day." 

13. Then he said to the man, " stretch out thy hand." 
And he stretched it out, and it was restored to soundness 
like the other. 

14. And the pharisees going out, entered into consulta- 
tion against him, how they might destroy him. 

15. But Jesus knowing it, departed thence; and many 
followed him, and he healed them all. 

16. And he gave them strict charge not to make him 
known : 



(v. 16.) Hence we learn one, at least, of the reasons why our 
Saviour forbade the publication of his miracles ; which is, that he 
might not add to the exasperation of his enemies, whom the last 
miracle had roused to a state of madness, according to the narrative 
of St. Luke, vi. 11. 



48 MATTHEW. 

17. So as to accomplish that which was spoken by the 
prophet Isaias, when he said, 

18. Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved, 
in whom my soul hath pleasure. I will put my spirit upon 
him, and he shall announce judgement to the Gentiles. 

19. He shall not strive ; neither shall he cry out ; nor 
shall any one hear his voice in the streets. 

20. Hie bruised reed he shall not break, and the smoking 
wick he shall not quench, until he send forth the judgement 
to victory. 

21. And in his name shall the Gentiles put their trust. — 
Is. xlii. 1. 

22. Then a demoniac was brought to him, a man blind 
and deaf; and he healed him, so that the blind and deaf 
man both spake and saw. 

23. And all the people were amazed, and said : " Is 
this then the son of David ?" 

24. But the pharisees hearing them, said : " It is only 
through Beelzebub, the prince of fiends, that this man 
caste th out fiends." 

25. And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them : 
" Every kingdom divided against itself, becometh deso- 
late ; and no city or family divided against itself can 
stand. 

26. Now, if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against 
himself: how then can this kingdom stand ? 

27. And if I cast out fiends through Beelzebub, through 



(v. 18.) This prophecy is illustrative of the meek and unassum- 
ing character of the Messiah. It is more easy to understand in 
the original, than in the Greek translation inserted in the Gospel. 
The judgment which the Messiah was to announce to the gentiles, 
{v. 18.) and to send forth to victory, {v. 20.) was undoubtedly his 
doctrine and laws. 

[v. 23.) The son of David. That is, the Messiah. 



MATTHEW. 49 

whom do your children cast them out ? Therefore they 
shall be your judges. 

28. But if I cast out fiends through the Spirit of God, 
then c the kingdom of God ' must have come upon you 
unawares. 

29. Or, how can a man enter the house of the strong 
man, and plunder his goods, unless he have first bound 
that strong man ; and then he may plunder his house. 
(Z*. xlix. 24, 25.) 

30. He that is not with me, is against me : and he 
that doth not gather with me, scattereth. 

31. Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy 
may be forgiven to men ; but blasphemy of the spirit will 
not be forgiven to men. 



(v. 28.) Come upon you — e<pdaff£ — pervenit. Probably the real 
reading in the vulgate should be prcevenit. Pervenit does not 
fully express the meaning of the Greek, which is, to come upon 
suddenly, unexpectedly, without observation. I have, therefore, 
added unawares. 

(v. 29.) The house of the strong man is the person possessed 
by the fiend : he who dispossesses the fiend, must be stronger 
than he. 

(v. 30.) This appears to have been a proverb among the Jews, 
and is used by our Lord in illustration of the preceding verse and 
reasoning. 

(v. 31.) Blasphemy means injurious or insulting language. 
The spirit is evidently that spirit by which Jesus had cast out the 
fiends, and which he calls the spirit of God, [v. 28) and the holy 
spirit, (v. 32) Many explanations of the sin here meant have 
been given ; but whosoever attends to the text, must see that the 
blasphemy of the spirit was that committed by the pharisees, who, 
to deceive the people, had, in face of the facts themselves, attri- 
buted the cure of the demoniacs to a power derived from Satan, in 
virtue of a secret compact between our Lord and him. But is it 
not contrary to Christian doctrine, to assert that any sin is irre- 
missible ? and is not that here asserted by Christ himself? To 
elude the difficulty, several fanciful explications have been sug- 
gested. But they are unnecessary. For the sin in question could 
only be committed by the contemporaries and eye-witnesses of the 

E 



50 MATTHEW. 

32. And whosoever shall speak words against the 
' son of man,' to him may be forgiveness ; but he that 
shall speak against the holy spirit, to him will be no 
forgiveness either in this life, or in that which is to come. 

33. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or 
make the tree unsound, and its fruit unsound : for it is 
from its fruit that the tree is known. 

34. Ye broods of vipers, how can ye, evil as ye are, 
speak good things ? For it is from the abundance of the 
heart that the mouth speaketh. 

35. Out of his good store the good man bringeth forth 
good things, and out of his evil store the evilman bring- 
eth forth evil things. 

36. But I say to you, that of every malicious word, 
that men utter, they shall render account in the day of 
judgement. 



miracles of our Saviour. Whether in these words he already pro- 
nounced judgement upon them, or merely foretold, what he knew 
would he the fact, that they would never repent, and therefore 
never be pardoned, there is nothing in either supposition to 
impeach the subsequent doctrine of the Christian church — that 
pardon of all sin is promised to the sincere penitent. 

(v. 32.) In this life, &c. The Greek aitov, the Latin cevum, 
the Gothic aiw, and the English aye or age, are all modifications 
of the same word, and have originally the same meaning — a cer- 
tain revolution of time, of longer or shorter duration. Hence 
aiojv has several significations, and ovre kv tovto) ~<p auavi ovre kv 
tu> fxiKKavTL has sometimes been interpreted, neither in /his ; the 
Mosaic, nor in the future ; the Christian, age or dispensation. 
But a reference to the corresponding passage in St. Mark, (iii. 29) 
will shew that it is correctly rendered, neither in this life, nor that 
which is to come — that is, never. 

(v. 33.) That is, either confess that I am good, because my works 
are good ; or if ye maintain that I am evil, shew that my works 
are evil. 

(v. 36.) Malicious — apydv — otiosum. Those who have ren- 
dered this passage idle word, seem at the same time dissatisfied 
with it. Yet, though the books of scripture and the works of pro- 



MATTHEW. 51 

37. For out of thy words shalt thou be pronounced 
innocent, and out of thy words be pronounced guilty." 

38. Then certain of the scribes and pharisees inter- 
rupted him saying : " Master, we wish to see a sign from 
thee." 

39. But he said in answer : Cc The wicked and adulter- 
ous race asketh for a sign : but no sign shall be given to 
it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. 

40. For as Jonas was three days and three nights in 
the belly of the sea-monster, so shall the son of man be 
three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 



fane writers have been ransacked, to discover some other and more 
satisfactory meaning, the labour has been taken in vain. In fact, the 
same words have often different significations, at different times, 
and in different places ; and the best way of discovering the real 
import of the original Hebrew epithet, which has been translated 
apyov, is to seek the object of our Lord by a careful examination of 
the context. He undoubtedly refers to some sort of evil language 
which the evil man bringeth out of his evil store, {v. 35) which 
discloseth the evil of his heart, {v. 34) and for which he will be 
pronounced guilty [v. 37 J. Now if we recollect that these re- 
marks were wrung from him by the malicious and groundless asser- 
tion that he was leagued with Beelzebub to deceive the people, we 
can hardly doubt that he meant, in this passage, malicious words, 
charges groundless and injurious, proceeding from malice or 
revenge. 

{v. 39.) Adulterous. In scripture, the word is applied to him 
who breaks his covenant with God. 

(v. 40.) Three days and three nights. 1. Was he three days 
in the sepulchre? No; only one entire day, and part of two 
others. But we must recollect, that in numbering days, weeks, 
&c. the Jews included the first and the last. If the child was to be 
circumcised on the eighth day, the day of the birth, as well as the 
clay of the circumcision, were included. What is more singular, 
they treated each day as indivisible ; if a day were begun, they 
spoke of it as an entire day. Our Lord was circumcised after 
eight days had been accomplished. (Luke ii. 21 J Yet certainly 
no more than the beginning of the eighth day had been accom- 
plished. 2. Was he then three nights in the sepulchre ? No ; 

E 2 



52 MATTHEW. 

41. The men of Nineveh shall stand up at the judg- 
ment against this race, and shall prove it guilty : for they 
repented at the preaching of Jonas : and, behold some- 
thing more than Jonas is here. (Jon. iii. 5.) 

42. The queen of the south shall rise up at the judg- 
ment against this race, and shall prove it guilty : for she 
came from the uttermost bounds of the earth to hearken 
to the wisdom of Solomon ; and behold something more 
than Solomon is here, (iii Kings x. 1.) 

43. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he 
wandereth through the arid desert in search of a resting 
place, and findeth none ; 

44. Then he sayeth, I will return into my house 
which I left : and coming, he findeth it unoccupied, 
swept and put into order. 

45. Then goeth he, and taketh to himself seven other 
spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in, and 



no more than two nights. But it should be observed, that this is 
asserted of our Lord's abode in the sepulchre, by no one but this 
evangelist, who wrote in Hebrew. Now there is reason to believe, 
that among the Hebrews, the expression night and day was in 
common use for the word day. Thus Esther, (iv. 16) ordered a 
fast of three days, night and day, after which she would go in to 
the king. Yet we find, (v. 1) that she went in on the third day. 
See another example in 1 Kings, (Sam.) xxx. 12, 13, where a 
person is said not to have eaten or drunk for three days or three 
nights, though he is related to have done both on the third day. 
With St. Paul, night and day, and with St. John, in the Reve- 
lations, day and night, are synonymous with the abverb always. 

(v. 43.) This and the two next verses are employed as an illus- 
tration by our Saviour. Hence I conclude that they express a 
popular notion among the Jews, that the fiend often left his vic- 
tim for a time, and then returned with other fiends, so that the 
second possession was a greater misfortune than the first. The 
application is easy. Much as the teachers of the Jews were under 
the power of Satan before the coming of our Saviour, they would 
be seven times more so after his departure, in consequence of their 
having rejected the graces which he had offered them. 



MATTHEW. 53 

fix their abode there. And the last state of that man 
becometh worse than the first. So shall it prove to this 
wicked race." 

46. While he was yet speaking to the people, behold, 
his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to 
speak with him. 

47. Then some one said to him, " Behold thy mother 
and thy brethren stand without, seeking to speak with 
thee." 

48. But to him that told him he made answer : " Who 
is my mother? and who are my brethren?" 

49. Then stretching forth his hand towards his 
disciples, he said : "Behold my mother and my brethren. 

50. For whosoever shall do the will of my father that 
is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

SEVERAL PARABLES. 

1. On that day Jesus having gone out of the house, 
sate down by the sea. 

2. And a concourse of people gathered about him, so 
that going into a bark, he sate down, whilst all the 
people stood on the shore. 

3. And he spake many things to them in parables, 
saying : " Behold the sower went out for the purpose of 
sowing : 

(v. 46.) And his brethren. These brethren are never said to be the 
sons of his mother. The title of brethren was given by the Jews 
to persons nearly related in blood. See Gen. xii. 5 ; xiii. 8. Lev. 
x. 4. Fratres consobimos dici omnis scriptura demonstrat. S. 
Hieron. in Matth. xii. 49. 

(v. 3.) In parables — kv 7rapafio\alg. When a speaker argued 



5-i MATTHEW. 

4. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the way-side, 
and the birds came, and eat it up. 

5. And some fell on rocky ground, where there was 
little earth. And this sprouted quickly, because it had 
no depth of soil ; 

6. But, after sunrise it was scorched, and, through 
want of root, withered away. 

7. And other some fell upon the thorns : and the 
thorns grew up, and choked it. 

8. But the rest fell upon the good soil, and bare fruit, 
some a hundred, some sixty, and some thirty fold. 

9. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." 

10. And his disciples accosted him saying: "Why 
dost thou speak to them in parables ?" 

1 1 . But he made answer ; " Because to you it hath been 
given to know the secrets of ' the kingdom,' but to them 
it hath not been given. 



from the comparison of one case with another, if that case were 
real, he was said by the ancient rhetoricians to employ a irapd- 
cEiyfia, or example ; if fictitious, a 7rapa(jo\ri, or parable. 

(v. 11.) But to them it hath not been given. To account for 
tliis, it has been ingeniously remarked, that the parables in ques- 
tion were predictive of events to happen after the establishment of 
Christianity, and that consequently the knowledge of their mean- 
ing could not be, at that time, of any importance to the great body 
of his hearers. But to me his answer to the apostles appears far 
more comprehensive. It applies to his manner of teaching, with a 
very few exceptions, through the whole course of his mission. He 
did not speak to them otherwise than in parables ; (Matt. xiii. 
34) either directly in parables specified as such, or indirectly in 
parabolic language. All his conversation abounds with allusions 
and allegories : there is perpetually a secret meaning wrapt up in 
it, which renders it mysterious and enigmatical : whether he 
addresses the multitudes in Galilee, or the learned and intelligent 
Nicodemus, he speaks in the same figurative style, above the com- 
prehension, not only of the vulgar, but also of the teachers in 
Israel. At the conclusion of his last discourse to his apostles, 



MATTHEW. 55 

12. For to him who hath, there shall be given, and 
he shall abound : but from him who hath not, even what 
he hath shall be taken away. 

13. This is the reason why I speak to them in 
parables : because, though they look, they see not ; 
though they hearken, they hear not; neither do they 
understand. 

14. And in them is accomplished the prophecy of 
Isaias, which sayeth : hearing ye will hear, but will not 
understand ; looking ye will look, but will not see. 

15. For the heart of this people is bloated; with their 
ears they are didl of hearing ; their eye-sight they have 
veiled : so that they may not see with their eyes, nor hear 
ivith their ears, nor understand with their hearts, nor be 
converted, nor may I heal them. — Is. vi. 9. 



before his passion, he states that he will then lay aside this para- 
bolic language, and speak openly, and proceeds to say, in plain 
words, that as he came from the father into the world, so he is 
about to leave the world, and go to the father. This they under- 
stood, and instantly exclaim, as if in surprise, now thou speakest 
plainly, and utterest no parable. John xvi. 25, 28, 29. 

It appears from the answer in the present chapter, [v. 11-15) 
that when he spoke in this manner, he had no intention of being 
perfectly understood. And of that he gives a reason, which he 
often repeats, as if it were the key to this mysterious language in 
general: to him who hath, there shall be given ; but from him 
who hath not, even what he hath shall be taken away. Enough 
had been given to the Jews, and no use made of it ; he would no 
longer throw his pearls to swine. Even what they had, should be 
taken from them, and be given to the Gentiles. But why then 
did he address them in parables at all ? He was, as he describes 
himself in St. Mark iv. 26, the sower sowing his seed, and then 
leaving it in the soil, to fructify till the time of harvest. His say- 
ings, though not understood, would remain in the memory of his 
hearers : in the course of a few months, the time of harvest, the 
establishment of his church after his ascension, would come ; and 
then his servants would be sent to gather the wheat into his barn. 
Then the fruit of these lessons would be seen, in the conversion of 
the poor in spirit, the simple, and docile, and virtuous, while the 
rest of their countrymen would remain and die in their incredulity. 



56 MATTHEW. 

16. But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and 
your ears, because they hear. 

17. For verily I say to you, many prophets and 
righteous men have desired to see the things which ye 
see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things 
which ye hear, and have not heard them. 

18. Hear ye then the parable of the sower. 

19. With respect to every one that heareth the word ' of 
the kingdom,' but mindeth it not, the evil one cometh, 
and taketh away that which was sown in his heart. 
That man is betokened by the sowing on the way side. 

20. But the sowing on the rocky ground betokeneth 
him, who, as soon as he heareth the word, accepteth it 
with gladness : 

21. Yet he letteth it not strike root in him, and there- 
fore endureth not ; for in the time of tribulation or of 
persecution on account of the word, he forthwith falleth 
away. 

22. And the sowing among the thorns, betokeneth him 
who heareth the word : but the cares of this life, and the 
delusions of riches, choke the word, and make it fruitless. 

23. But the sowing on the good soil, betokeneth him 
who heareth the word, and mindeth it ; and such man 
beareth fruit, and yieldeth, one a hundred-fold, one sixty, 
and another thirty." 



(r. 19.) Three evangelists record the explication of this parable. 
In all the meaning is plain ; vet all three confound the word, or 
the seed sown, with the person who receives it. To avoid this 
incongruity of language, I have taken the liberty to change that 
which teas soivn, into the sowing. 

(v. 23.) This parable then is an allegory, not explanatory of 
doctrine, but descriptive of facts. It divides the hearers of the 
gospel into four classes, and shews how it will come, to pass, that 
whilst one of these brings forth fruit, the other three derive no 
benefit from it. 



MATTHEW. 57 

24. Another parable did he lay before them, saying, 
" The kingdom of heaven, is like to a man who had 
sown good seed in his field. 

25. But while the people slept, his enemy came, and 
sowed zizan in the midst of the wheat, and went his way. 

26. And when the blade shot and produced fruit, then 
the zizan became visible. 

27. And the bondmen of the owner came to him and 
said; ' Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field: 
whence then hath it zizan ?' 

28. But he replied ; ' an enemy hath done it.' And the 
bondmen said, 'wilt thou then that we go and gather it up?' 

29. But he said, ' No : lest gathering the zizan, you 
should root up the wheat together with it. 

30. Let both grow together until the harvest ; and in 
the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, gather 
first the zizan, and bind it in bundles for the fire : and 
then lead the wheat into my barn."' 

31. Another parable did he also lay before them, say- 
ing, " The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard 
seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field. 

32. Which is smaller than all the seeds ; yet, when it 
hath grown up, is larger than any shrub, and becometh 
a tree, so that the birds of heaven come and rest on the 
branches thereof." 



(v. 25.) Zizan — £i£cmct — zizania. Of this plant we know 
nothing more than what is indicated by the parable— that it was 
a worthless species of grain, hardly distinguishable from wheat at 
its first appearance, though easy to be known, and separated from 
it, when it came to maturity. It is better to call it by its proper 
name, zizan, than to give it the name of any indigenous plant, 
which we know that it was not. 

(v. 32.) Smaller than all the seeds. That is, than the other 
garden seeds usually sown in Palestine ; but we are not to com- 



58 MATTHEW. 

33. Another parable he laid before them, saying, " The 
kingdom of heaven is like to leaven, which a woman took 
and covered up in three measures of meal, until the whole 
was leavened." 

34. All these things did Jesus speak in parables to the 
people, nor did he speak to them otherwise than in 
parables : 

35. So as to accomplish the words spoken by the pro- 
phet, when he said ; i" will open my mouth in parables : 
I null utter things hidden since the creation of the world. 
Ps. lxxvii. 2. 

36. Then Jesus, having dismissed the people, went into 
the house, and his disciples came to him and said : 
" Explain to us the parable of the zizan in the field." 

37. But he answered them and said; "The sower of 
the good seed is the son of man. 

38. The field is the world: the good seed the children 
of the kingdom ; the zizan the children of the wicked one. 

pare that dwarfish stunted herb which the mustard plant is with 
us, with the lofty spreading shrub to which it grows in the East. 
The parable is evidently an allegory, prophetic ot the rapid diffu- 
sion of Christianity. At first its professors were the smallest 
religious society in the world ; but their numbers increased 
rapidly, and in a short time the natives of the different countries, 
both in the East and the West, were incorporated amongst them. 

(v. 33.) This parable is predictive of the influence of the Gos- 
pel on the morals of mankind. Those who arc aware of the depra- 
vity which universally prevailed when it was first preached, will 
admit the advantageous change which it has wrought in the general 
habits of men. The influence which it has thus exercised, it will 
continue to exercise to the end. 

(v. 35.) Things hidden — KeKpvfifxiva. In the septuagint, Ps. 
lxxviii. 3, we have 7rpvj3\y/LLara ci7r' apxije, w * sc maxims or sayings. 
They are called things hidden, because every one of these para- 
bles was predictive of things to come. 



MATTHEW. 59 

39. The enemy that sows them is the devil : the har- 
vest the end of the world, and the reapers are the angels. 

40. As therefore the zizan is gathered together, and 
burnt in the fire, so will it be at the end of this 
world. 

41. The son of man will send his angels, who will 
gather out of his kingdom all causes of offence, and 
workers of iniquity, 

42. And will cast them into the furnace of fire: where 
shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 

43. Then it is that the righteous will shine like the 
sun in the kingdom of their father. (Dan. xii. 3.) He 
that hath ears to hear, let him hear." 

44. Again " the kingdom of heaven is like to a treasure 
hidden in a field ; and the man who hath discovered it, 
covereth it up, and rejoicing at it, goeth and selleth all 
that he hath, and buyeth that field." 

45. Again " the kingdom of heaven is like to a 
merchant in quest of goodly pearls ; 

46. Who, when he hath found a pearl of great value, 
goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth it." 



(v. 42.) The weeping, &c. I conceive that this was a usual 
expression among the Jews,, when they spoke of the Gehenna of 
fire. The article is always prefixed in the Greek. 

(v. 43.) This parable then is an allegory, prophetic of the 
future state of the Church. It foretels, that from the first preaching 
of the Gospel to the end of the luiov, the age, or Christian dispen- 
sation, the good and bad will be mixed together ; but that then 
the separation will take place, and each class be rewarded or 
punished, according to its deserts. 

[v. 45, 46.) The great difference between these two parables is, 
that the discovery of the treasure is made by chance, but of the 
valuable pearl in consequence of the industry of the finder. They 
therefore point out two classes of Hebrew converts — those to whom 



60 MATTHEW. 

47. Again " the kingdom of heaven is like to a draw- 
net cast into the sea, and gathering together of all man- 
ner (of fish). 

48. And when it is full, they draw it out; and sitting 
on the shore, they choose out the good fish into vessels, 
and throw the useless away. 

49. So will it be at the end of the world. The angels 
will come forth, and will separate the wicked out of the 
midst of the righteous, 

50. And will cast them into the furnace of fire, where 
shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. 

51. Have ye understood all these things ?" They say 
to him, " Yea." 

52. He sayeth to them, " Therefore every man qualified 
to be a teacher in ' the kingdom of heaven,' is like to a 
householder, who bringeth forth from his store new things 
and old." 

53. And it happened that, when Jesus had finished 
these parables, he departed thence. 



the knowledge of the Gospel was offered as by chance, and those 
to whom it was given in consequence of their inquiry after the 
truth. But of both the same price is required — the sale of all 
their property, for the support of the poor. It was only on this 
condition, that the convert was admitted into the church of the 
Hebrew Christians. 

(v. 50.) This parable, like that of v. 24, is descriptive of the 
co-existence of good and bad in the Church, and prophetic of their 
separation at the end of the uiujv. Here, however, we see that 
every particular is not to be interpreted strictly. In the parable, 
the good fish are separated from amongst the useless ; in its inter- 
pretation by our Lord, the wicked are separated from amongst the 
righteous. The draw-net is called sagene in the original, the same 
word as seine in English. 

(v. 52.) Qualified to be a teacher— ypafAfiarevc /j.adt]TevdF.lg tig 
— scriba doctus. The Greek word means instructed as a disciple. 
The ypctfJuuTtvr was a teacher of the law, and, as the evangelist 



MATTHEW. 61 

54. And going to his own country, he taught them in 
their synagogues, so that they wondered and said ; 
" Whence hath this man this wisdom and these powers ? 

55. Is he not "the son of the carpenter ? Is not his 
mother called Mary? And his brethren James and 
Joseph, and Simon and Judas, 

56. And his sisters are not all of them among us ? 
Whence then hath he all these things ?" 

57. And they took offence at him. And Jesus said to 
them, " It is only in his own country and at his own 
home, that a prophet is treated without respect." 

58. And he did not many mighty works there, on ac- 
count of their unbelief. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE DEATH OF THE BAPTIST, AND MULTIPLICATION 
OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES. 

1. At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame 
of Jesus. 



evidently speaks of a teacher of the new law, I conceive the trans- 
lation to present the real meaning of the text. 

(v. 54.) His oivn country. This was Nazareth, called his 
country because he had lived there so many years. 

[Ibid.) Whence hath this man. Their prejudices would not 
allow them to suspect that one so meanly born, could be the pro- 
mised Messiah ; and their pride was wounded by the evident supe- 
riority of a man, whom they had so long considered as no more 
than their equal. 

(v. 55.) His brethren. That they were not brothers to him, is 
thus shewn. James and Joseph were the sons of Mary, who, 
with other women, witnessed the crucifixion. Matt, xxvii. 56. 
Now that Mary, we learn from St. John, was Mary, the sister of 
our Saviour's mother, and the wife of Cleophas. John xix. 25. 
They were therefore the sons of Cleophas, not of Joseph. 

(t\ 1.) Herod, the tetrarch. At the death of Herod the great, 
his dominions were divided into four parts, three of which fell to 



62 MATTHEW. 

2. And he said to his attendants : " This is John the 
baptist: he is risen from the dead ; and therefore mighty 
works are wrought by him." 

3. For Herod had apprehended John, bound him, and 
cast him into prison, on account of Herodias, his brother's 
wife. 

4. Because John had said to him, " It is not lawful for 
thee to have her." — Lev. xviii. 16. 

5. But, though he wished to put him to death, he feared 
the people, because they accounted him a prophet. 

6. Now, when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the 
daughter of Herodias danced in the midst ; and she 
pleased Herod, 

7. So that he consented with an oath to grant to her 
whatsoever she might ask. 

8. And she, at the instigation of her mother,said, " Give 
me here the head of John the Baptist in a charger." 

three of his sons. The first, consisting of Judea, Idumea, and 
Samaria, to Archelaus, with the title of king ; a second, consisting 
of Galilee and Perea, to Herod Antipas, the tetrarch mentioned 
in this verse ; and a third, comprising Trachonitis and the neigh- 
bouring districts, to Philip. A fourth son, Herod Philip, had no 
principality assigned to him, but remained a private individual. 
It should be remarked, that the tetrarchs were occasionally called 
kings. 

(v. 3.) Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, whom his 
father, Herod the great, had put to death. She married her uncle 
Herod Philip, but having been seduced by her other uncle Herod 
Antipas, she left her husband to live with him, and also took her 
daughter with her. Jos. Ant. xviii. 6. 

(v. 8.) The evangelist relates this tragic event as a story well 
known at the time, and without any attempt to arouse the feelings 
of his readers. It appears, however, to have been a plan of Hero- 
dias, to rid herself and her paramour of an importunate monitor. 
Herod, with his guests, " the great men, and captains, and prin- 
cipal estates of Galilee," (Mark vi. 21 j were lying on couches, 
and feasting in the banqueting room, (Matt. xiv. 9) when 
Salome, the daughter of Herodias, entered unexpectedly, (for it 
was not usual for modest women to intrude on such occasions) and 



MATTHEW. 63 

9. And the king was struck with sorrow : but on 
account of his oath, and of those who lay at table with 
him, he ordered it to be given, 

10. And sent to behead John in the prison. 

1 1. And his head was brought in a charger, and given 
to the girl, who carried it to her mother. 

12. And his disciples went, and carried away his body 
and buried it, and then came and related the matter to 
Jesus. 

13. And when Jesus heard of it, he departed thence 
in a bark, towards a desert place, in privacy ; but the 
people hearing it, followed him on foot from the towns. 

14. And Jesus, as he landed, beheld a great multitude, 
and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick. 

15. And about evening, his disciples came to him, 
saying, " This is a desert place, and the day is spent ; 
dismiss the people, that they may go into the villages, 
and buy themselves provisions." 

danced before them, probably in the disguise, and after the man- 
ner, of a dancing girl, for we know that the indecent exhibitions 
of the dancing girls are, on such occasions, highty gratifying to the 
natives of the East. If this be admitted, we shall not be sur- 
prised that Herod, under the influence of wine, and amidst the 
applause of his guests, made to her the imprudent promise related 
in the text. 

(v. 15.) About evening. We are told, that the Jews reckoned 
two evenings, one beginning half-way between noon and sunset, 
the other at sunset ; that " the hour" of the first " was now past," 
and that the other will be mentioned in v. 23. I suspect, how- 
ever, that this is all a fiction, and that, as with us in ordinary lan- 
guage, the morning is supposed to begin before sunrise, and last 
till noon, and in some phrases till long afterwards, so with the 
Jews the evening began before sunset, and was supposed to last 
the greater part of the night. That it began before sunset, appears 
from Jeremias, (vi. 4) where the shadows are said to lengthen in 
the evening ; and that it lasted till long after sunset, may be 
inferred from 4 Kings, vii. 5, where the lepers, going to the camp 



64 MATTHEW. 

16. But Jesus said to them, " They need not go : do 
ye give to them to eat." 

17. And they said to him, " We have here no more 
than five loaves and two fishes." 

18. But he said, " Bring them to me hither." 

19. Then, commanding the people to lie down on the 
grass, he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and 
looking up to heaven, he blessed them ; and breaking 
the loaves, he gave them to his disciples, and the disciples 
to the people. 

20. And all did eat and were satisfied ; and they 
carried away twelve baskets full of the remains of the 
fragments. 

21. And those who had eaten were about five thousand 
men, besides women and children. 

22. And Jesus immediately forced his disciples to 
embark, and to go before him to the other side, until he 
should dismiss the people. 

23. And having dismissed the people, he went up the 
mountain to pray in private : and during the evening he 
was there alone. 

24. But the bark was now in the midst of the sea, 
tossed about by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 

25. But in the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came 
towards them, walking on the sea ; 



in the evening, found that the enemy had fled in the darkness. 
The same appears from v. 23 of this chapter, compared with Mark 
vi. 48, where our Saviour is on the mountain in the evening, 
whilst the bark is tossed by the waves. There is no mention of 
any interval at all between his seeing them and his going to them, 
much less can we suppose so long an interval as seven or eight 
hours. Yet such must be admitted, if the evening did not reach 
through great part of the night, for he went to them about the 
fourth watch— that is, between three and six in the morning. 



MATTHEW. 65 

26. And they seeing him walking on the sea, were 
frightened, saying, " It is an apparition," and they cried 
aloud through fear. 

27. And Jesus immediately spake to them, saying, 
" Be of good heart : it is I ; do not fear." 

28. But Peter said in answer ; " Lord, if it be thou, 
bid me come to thee upon the waters." 

29. And he said ; " Come." And Peter getting out 
of the bark, walked on the waters to go to Jesus. 

30. But noticing that the wind was boisterous, he grew 
alarmed ; and, as he began to sink, called out " Lord, 
save me." 

31. And immediately Jesus, stretching out his hand, 
caught hold of him, and said to him, "Why didst thou 
waver, O man of little trust ?" 

32. And the wind ceased, as soon as they were on 
board the bark. 

33. But the men in the bark, came and worshipped 
him, saying " Verily thou art son of God." 

34. And when they had crossed over, they came into 
the land of Genesareth. 

35. And the men of that place recognizing him, sent 
through all that country, and placed before him all who 
were diseased ; 

36. And begged of him that they might touch only the 
tuft of his garment. And as many as did touch it, were 
healed. 



[v. 33.) Who are meant by " the men in the bark ?" Not the 
disciples, but the mariners, or other passengers. What did they 
mean by " son of God ?" Probably they had heard of the 
voice from heaven at the time of his baptism, and intended to pro- 
fess their belief in that declaration. As, however, the article is 
wanting in the Greek, and is not necessarily understood in the 
Latin, I have not rendered it " the son of God." 



66 MATTHEW. 

CHAPTER XV. 

TRADITIONS OF THE PHARISEES. SECOND MULTIPLI- 
CATION OF LOAVES AND FISHES. 

1. Then certain Scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem, 
accosted him, and said ; 

2. Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the 
ancients ? For they wash not their hands when they 
eat bread." 

3. But he made answer, " And why do ye transgress 
the command of God, for the sake of your tradition ? 
For God commanded, saying, 

4. Honour thy father and mother (Ex. xx. 12 J and, 
he that speaketh evil to father or mother, let him die the 
death. — Ex. xxi. 17. 

5. But ye say, whosoever shall say to his father or 
mother, of every corban from me the benefit be thine ; 



(v. 4.) Speaketh evil — 6 km-oXoywv — qui maledixerit. It is 
usually rendered, he who curseth ; but in the Greek and Latin 
words, every kind of language, abusive or injurious, is included ; 
and the instance afterwards mentioned by our Saviour, cannot be 
considered as a curse. 

[v. 5.) Of every corban from me the benefit be thine — £u>pov6 K 
kav it, efioii ojtyeXrjdrJQ — munus quodcumque est ex me, tibi pro- 
derit. To those whom our blessed Lord addressed, and to those 
for whom the evangelist wrote, this passage would be perfectly 
intelligible ; to us, from our imperfect acquaintance with the pecu- 
liar customs and traditions of the Jews, it presents almost insupe- 
rable difficulties. 

1 . Awpov is put here for the Hebrew word corban. So we learn 
from the parallel passage in St. Mark, vii. 12. Now a corban was 
something devoted by its owner to the service of God ; such as 
money, articles of value, cattle, houses, lands, slaves, and even the 
persons of the offerers themselves. See Levit. xxvii. 1-26 ; Matt. 
xxvii. 6 ; Luke xxi. I, 2 ; Joseph. Ant. iv. 4, de Bel. ii. 9. The 
custom, we learn from Josephus, had been carried from Jerusalem 



MATTHEW. 67 

6. He may not honour his father or mother. So ye 
make void the command of God for the sake of your 
tradition. 

7. Well did Isaias prophecy of you, ye hypocrites, when 
he said, 

8. This people honoureth me with their lips, but their 
heart is far from me. 

9. It is in vain that they worship me, teaching doctrines 
which are the precepts of men? — Is. xxix. 13. 

10. Then calling the people to him, he said to them ; 
" Hear ye, and understand. 



to Tyre, but was forbiddeu by the laws of that city. Cont. Apion. 
p. 1345. 

2. The words in the text appear to have been, in the Hebrew, 
some established and recognized form, used, occasionally at least, 
by the person making a cor ban, and addressed by him to his 
parent or parents, in the presence probably of official witnesses. 
But for what purpose ? According to the reading in St. Matthew, 
to release him subsequently from the obligation of honouring his 
parent ; according to that in St. Mark, to disable him from doing 
afterwards anything for that parent. 

3. Here we are completely in the dark. That the honour or duty 
alluded to was of a burthensome nature, is plain : but, what it 
might be in particular, we know not. There might be many duties 
exacted from the child by the Jewish customs, of which we have 
no notion. One is mentioned by Josephus — an honourable fune- 
ral ; of which he remarks, that whosoever neglected it was looked 
upon as unholy ; and yet it was so expensive, as often to prove 
ruinous to the family. De Bel. ii. 1. 

4. We are not even sure of the real meaning of the form. If 
we render it, as I have done, and in the same sense as most trans- 
lators have done, of every corban from me the benefit be thine, it 
will appear to be a transfer of the spiritual benefit to the parent, 
which transfer was held to release the child from the obligation of 
bestowing worldly benefits on the same parent. Others render it, 
whatever of mine may profit thee, that I make corban, or may 
that be corban, a translation which, if it be adopted, appears to 
apply to the man who made a corban of himself, and having thus 
consecrated himself to the service of his heavenly father, was sup- 
posed to be emancipated from every duty towards his earthly 
parent. F 2 



68 MATTHEW. 

11. It is not what en tereth into the mouth, that de- 
fileth the man, but that which cometh out of the mouth, 
which defileth the man." 

12. Then his disciples accosted him, saying; " Dost 
thou know that the Pharisees were scandalized, when 
they heard that saying ?" 

13. But he answered : " Every plant, which my 
heavenly father hath not planted, shall be rooted out. 

14. Mind them not. They are blind and leaders of 
the blind. Now, if the blind man lead the blind, both 
fall into the pit." 

15. But Peter took occasion to say to him, "Explain 
to us that saying." 

16. And he said, "Are ye also without understanding 

yet? 

17. Do ye not understand that whatsoever entereth 
into the mouth, goeth into the belly, and is cast into the 
privy ? 

18. But the things that come out of the mouth, issue 
from the heart, and these are the things which defile the 
man. 

19. For it is from the heart that issue evil thoughts, 
murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false testimonies, 
calumnies. 

20. These are the things which defile the man : but to 
eat with hands unwashen, that doth not defile the man." 

21. And Jesus, going thence, withdrew into the coun- 
try of Tyre and Sidon. 

22. And behold a Chananean woman, coming from 
that district, called out and said, " Have pity on me, Lord, 



(y. 13.) Every plant. That is, every tradition of the pharisees 
which was not accordant with the commandments of God. 



MATTHEW. 69 

thou son of David : my daughter is grievously afflicted 
with a fiend." 

23. But he answered her not a word. And his disci- 
ples came and entreated him, saying : " Send her away ; 
for she clamoureth after us." 

24. But he replied : " I was sent to none but the lost 
sheep of Israel." 

25. However she came and worshipped him, saying, 
" Lord, help me." 

26. And he answered ; " It is not meet to take the 
bread of the children, and to cast it to the dogs." 

27. But she said : " Yea, Lord, for the very dogs eat 
of the crumbs, which fall from the table of their masters." 

28. Then Jesus made her this answer : " O woman, 
great is thy faith. Be it done to thee accordingly as thou 
wiliest." And from that instant her daughter was healed. 

29. And Jesus, passing from that place, came nigh to 
the sea of Galilee, and going up the mountain, he sate 
down there. 

30. And great multitudes came to him, having with 
them the dumb, and the blind, and the lame, and the 
crippled and many others : and they laid them down at 
his feet, and he healed them. 

31. Insomuch that the people marvelled, seeing the 
dumb speak, the lame walk, and the blind see ; and they 
gave glory to the God of Israel. — Is. xxxv. 5, 6. 

32. But Jesus calling to him his disciples, said : " I 
have pity on the multitude, for they have now waited on me 
three days, and have nothing to eat, and I will not dismiss 
them fasting, that they may not grow faint by the way." 

33. And his disciples say to him, " But where are we 
to find bread enough in the wilderness to satisfy so great 
a crowd ?" 



70 MATTHEW. 

34. And Jesus said to them : " How many loaves have 
ye ? They said " Seven, and a few little fishes." 

35. And he commanded the multitude to lie down upon 
the ground. 

36. And taking the seven loaves and the fishes, and 
giving thanks, he brake them, and gave to his disciples, 
and the disciples gave to the people. 

37. And they all did eat and were satisfied : and of 
the remains of the fragments they carried away seven 
baskets full. 

38. Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides 
the women and children. 

39. And having dismissed the multitude, he went on 
board a bark, and came into the district of Magedan. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES, AND THE CONFES- 
SION OF PETER. 

1. Now the Pharisees and Sadducees came to him, and 
for the purpose of trying him, asked him to shew them a 
sign from heaven. 

2. But he said to them in answer : " When it is evening 
ye say, (it will be) fair weather, for the sky is red : and in 



(v. 37.) Baskets. It is remarkable, that in all the accounts of 
the two multiplications of the loaves, a different word is used for 
baskets in the second from that in the first. The baskets, on the second 
occasion, appear to have been hand baskets, or of smaller capacity. 

[v. 1.) A sign from heaven. It is probable that they asked for 
a sign from heaven, either because Daniel had foretold that the 
Messiah would come on the clouds of heaven, (Dan. vii. 13,) or 
because he was to be greater than Moses, who had given their 
fathers bread from heaven. See John vi. 30. 



MATTHEW. 71 

the morning, to-day it will be foul, for the sky is red and 
lowering. 

3. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to discern the appear- 
ances of the sky, but the signs of the times ye cannot 
(discern). 

4. An evil and adulterous race seeketh for a sign : but 
no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonas the 
prophet." 

5. And leaving them he departed. And as his disciples 
were going across the sea, they had forgotten to take 
bread (with them). 

6. Now Jesus said to them . " Look ye, and beware of 
the leaven of the pharisees and sadducees." 

7. And they reasoned with themselves, saying : " (This 
is) because we have not brought bread." 

8. But Jesus knowing it, said to them : " Why do you 
reason within yourselves, O ye of little trust, about your 
having brought no bread ? 

9. Have ye no understanding yet? no recollection of 
the five loaves, for the five thousand men, and how many 
baskets ye took (up) ? 

10. Or the seven loaves for the four thousand men, and 
how many baskets ye took (up) ? 

11. How is it that ye do not understand, that I did not 
speak of bread, when I told you to beware of the leaven 
of the pharisees and sadducees ?" 

12. Then they understood, that he did not tell them to 
beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the 
pharisees and sadducees. 



[v. 4.) The sign of Jonas the prophet. That is, his resurrec- 
tion from the dead. Hence it appears that he looked forward to 
his resurrection as the grand proof of his mission. 



72 MATTHEW. 

13. Now, as Jesus was going into the district of 
Caesarea Philippi, lie questioned his disciples in these 
words : " Who do men say that the son of man is ?" 

14. But they said, " Some John the baptist, but some 
Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets." 

15. Jesus sayeth to them, " But ye, who do ye say that 
I am ?" 

16. Simon Peter made answer : " Thou art the Mes- 
siah" (the anointed one), " the son of the living God." 

17. But Jesus in answer to him said: "Happy art 
thou, Simon, son of Jonas : for it is not flesh and blood 
that hath revealed (this) to thee, but my father who is in 
heaven. 

18. Wherefore do I also say to thee, that thou art 
Cephas, (the rock), and on this rock will I build my 
church, nor shall the gates of hell prevail against it. 



(v. 13.) In the Greek we read, that I the Son of Man am. 

{v. 16.) The Messiah; and v. 18, Cephas — Xpioroe and TlirpoQ 
— Christus and Petrus. In the Greek and Latin, and the modern 
languages derived from the Latin, the allusion to the name of the 
apostle is preserved ; in the English it is lost. I have therefore 
substituted Messiah and Cephas, which were certainly used on this 
occasion for Christ and Peter, which are only Greek translations 
of those words. 

[v. 18.) This rock. This expression discloses the reason why 
our Saviour, at his first meeting with Simon, gave to him the name 
of Cephas, or rock. John i. 42. 

(Ibid.) The gates of hell — 7rv\ai £?» — portae inferi. All these 
words, even the English word hell, had originally the same signi- 
fication — that is, the invisible receptacle of the dead. It is through 
death that we enter it; death therefore was known to the Jews, and 
also to other nations, by the periphrasis of the gates of Hades, or 
the gates of death. Thus in Isaias xxxviii. 10, and Wisdom xvi. 
13, we have the gates of Hades, and Ps. ix. 14, and cvi. 18, the 
gates of death, for the same thing. In Homer also we find incog 
atiao 7r6\r}<ri in the same sense. The church built on the rock 
shall never yield to the gates of hell — that is, shall never perish. 



M ATTH E W. 73 

19. And to thee will T give the keys of ' the kingdom 
of heaven,' and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, 
shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt 
loose on earth, shall be loosed also in heaven." 

20. Then did he give in charge to his disciples, that 
they should tell to no one that he, Jesus, was the Messiah. 

21. From that time Jesus began to disclose to his dis- 
ciples, that it behooved him to go to Jesusalem, and to 
suffer many things from the elders, and the scribes, and 
the chief priests, and to be put to death, and to rise on 
the third day. 

22. And Peter, taking him aside, began to chide him, 
saying : " Mercy upon thee, Lord ! this shall never befall 
thee." 

23. But he turned, and said to Peter : " Go behind me, 
Satan ; thou art a stumbling block to me : for thy 
thoughts are not on the things of God, but on those of 
men." 

24. Then Jesus said to his disciples : " If any man will 
come after me, let him renounce himself, and take up his 
cross, and follow me. 



(*?. 19.) The keys. That is, I will make thee the chief minister 
in my spiritual kingdom. 

(v. 20.) It would appear that our Saviour never gave himself 
out publicly as the Messiah, nor suffered his disciples to do so. 
He contented himself with sowing the good seed, and waited till 
his resurrection for its bearing fruit. This, indeed, was the first 
time that he acknowledged the fact to his apostles. 

[v. 23.) Satan. The real meaning of the word is adversary or 
opponent. Peter objected to the future sufferings of our Saviour. 
He was therefore called an opponent, and told to go behind, that he 
might not be a stumbling block in the way. The metaphor is pre- 
served throughout. 

{Ibid.) See before, c. x. v. 39, note. 



74 MATTHEW. 

25. For he that shall seek to save his life, will lose it, 
but he that shall lose his life for my sake, will save it. 

26. For what profit hath a man, if he gain the whole 
world, and yet forfeit his life : or what shall a man give 
in exchange for his soul. 

27. For the son of man is about to come in the glory 
of his father, and the company of his angels, and will 
then render to every one according to his doing. 

28. Verily I say to you, of those that stand here, there 
are some, who shall not taste of death, till they see the 
son of man coming in his kingdom." 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE TRANSFIGURATION, AND PREDICTION OF OUR 
SAVIOUR'S DEATH. 

1. Now six days afterwards Jesus taketh with him 
Peter, and James, and John his brother, and leadeth them 
up a high mountain apart. 

2. And he was transfigured before them. And his 
face shone as the sun, and his garments became white as 
snow. 

3. And, behold, there were seen by them Moses and 
Elias in conversation with him. 



(v. 28.) See the son of man. In the preceding verse he had 
spoken of his " coming in the glory of his father ;" and if this be 
what he here means by " coming in his kingdom," the prediction 
was verified within a few days, when three of his apostles were per- 
mitted to witness his glory on Mount Thabor. He had also spoken 
of his coming " to render to every man according to his works ;" 
and if this be what he means by " coming in his kingdom," the 
prediction was probably verified in the persons of such apostles as 
were living at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. See 
before, c. x. v. 23. 

[v. 2.) As snow. As light, in the Greek. 



MATTHEW. 75 

4. And Peter addressing Jesus said : " Lord, it is good 
for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here three 
huts, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias." 

5. And, while he was yet speaking, behold a bright 
cloud overshadowed them, and behold a voice from the 
cloud, said : u This is my son, my beloved, in whom I am 
well pleased : hear ye him." 

6. And the disciples hearing it, fell on their faces, and 
were sorely afraid. 

7. And Jesus coming, touched them, and said : " Arise, 
and be not afraid." 

8. And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one save 
Jesus alone. 

9. And, as they came down from the mountain, Jesus 
charged them in these words : " Tell this vision to no 
one, till the son of man is risen from the dead." 

10. And the disciples asked him, saying : " Why then 
do the scribes say that Elias must come first ?" 

11. But Jesus answered : " Elias, indeed cometh first, 
and will put all things in order. 

12. Nay I tell you, Elias hath come already ; but they 
owned him not, and did to him whatsoever they pleased. 
So also is the son of man about to suffer from them." 

13. Then the disciples understood that it was of John 
the baptist, that he had spoken to them. 



[v. 4.) Peter. See his account of this wonder in bis second 
epistle, c. i. v. 16-18. 

(v. 11.) Will put all things in order — a7roicara<TTri<rei — restituet. 
Because the verb is in the future, the Millenarians infer that Elias 
is yet to come. On the contrary it appears to me, that v. 1 1 con- 
tains the doctrine of the scribes, and that in v. 12 our Lord cor- 
rects it, by stating that he has come already. The scribes expected 
the coming of Elias, in virtue of the prophecy of Malachi, iv. 5, 6, 
which the angel, who foretold the birth of the baptist to Zachary, 
applied to John, as the precursor of our Saviour. Lukei. 17, note. 



76 MATTHEW. 

14. Now, when they came to the multitude, a man 
approached, and fell on his knees before him, 

15. And said, " Lord, have compassion on my son ; for 
he is a lunatic, and sorely afflicted : for he often falleth 
into the fire, and often into the water. 

16. And I presented him to thy disciples, and they 
would not heal him." 

17. And Jesus answered: u Unbelieving and erring 
race ! how long shall I be among you ; how long'^shall 
I bear with you ? Bring him to me hither." 

18. And Jesus rebuked him, and the fiend went out 
from him. And the boy was healed from that hour. 

19. Then the disciples accosted Jesus apart, saying, 
" On what account was it that we could not cast him out?" 

20. But Jesus said to them: " On account of your 
want of faith. For verily I say to you, if ye have faith 



(v. 15.) Lunatic. Not that he was insane, but afflicted with 
epilepsy, a disease believed to be influenced by the changes of the 
moon. 

(v. 17.) Unbelieving. What was there in the petition of the 
father, to call for this rebuke from our Saviour ; or in the conduct 
of the nine apostles, to justify the reproof of their want of faith ? 
The evangelists are often so concise in their statements, that we 
are compelled to rely on our own conjectures; but in this instance, 
a few additional particulars may be gleaned from the narratives of 
the same event in the other gospels, (Mark ix. 14 ; Luke ix. 37,) 
and sufficient to afford a probable explication. The case of the 
boy had appeared so desperate, that the apostles did not believe 
that they could heal him ; and the people doubted whether even 
our Saviour could do it. 

(r. 20.) Faith. See c. viii. v. 9, note. 

(Ibid.) A grain of mustard seed. This was probably a collo- 
quial expression in common use. See its meaning in c.xxi. v. 21. 

(Ibid.) This mountain. It should be remembered, that this 
promise is not addressed by our Saviour to his hearers, indiscrimi- 
nately, but to the twelve whom he had chosen, and on whom he 
had already conferred the power of performing miracles. See ex. 



MATTHEW. 77 

as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to this mountain, 
c remove from this place to that,' and it shall be removed ; 
and nothing shall be impossible to you. 

21. But this kind will not go out but for prayer and 
fasting." 

22. Now while they stayed in Galilee, Jesus said to 
them : " The son of man is about to be delivered into the 
hands of men, 

23. And they will put him to death, and he will rise 
again on the third day." And they were sorely grieved. 

24. But when they came to Capharnaum, the collectors 
of the double drachm, addressed themselves to Peter, and 
said : " Does not your teacher pay the double drachm ?" 

25. He said, " Yea :" and when he went into the 
house, Jesus anticipated him, saying : " What dost thou 
think, Simon ? The kings of the earth, from whom do 



v. 1,8.. Were they then to transport mountains from place to 
place ? No ; but he took the allusion from the mountain which 
stood before them. The lesson which he meant to inculcate was, 
that if, in the course of their ministry, they should be inspired to 
perform any miracle, they were not to waver or to be deterred by 
the appearance of difficulty . See c. xxi. v. 21. 

(v. 21.) But by prayer and fasting. This probably is a hint, 
that during his absence on the mountain, they should have had 
recourse to prayer and fasting, and that in such case they would 
have ejected the fiend. 

{v. 24.) Double drachm. By the law of Moses, every Israelite, 
above twenty years of age, was ordered to pay half a shekel for the 
service of the tabernacle. Ex. xxx. 12. In our Saviour's time, 
each paid two drachms for the service of the temple. Jos. Ant. 
xviii. 9 ; de Bell. vii. 6. But why did the collectors doubt whe- 
ther our Saviour would pay it ? We know not. There might 
perhaps be exemptions, of which he might avail himself. Why 
again did they apply to Peter for a solution of their doubts ? 
Probably because he was known to be the leader of the disciples. 
A double drachm was about 15 pence English. 



78 MATTHEW. 

they receive tax or custom : from their own children, or 
from strangers ?" 

26. Peter, said to him, " From strangers." " Then," 
said Jesus, " the children are free. 

27. But that we may not be an offence in their way, 
go to the sea, cast in the hook, and the first fish that 
cometh up, take it, open its mouth, and thou shalt find a 
stater. Take that, and give it to them for me and thee." 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

HUMILITY 
MATTERS. 

1. At that time the disciples accosted Jesus, saying: 
" Who then is the greater in the ' kingdom of heaven ?' * 

2. And Jesus, calling to him a child, placed him in the 
midst of them, 

3. And said, " Verily, I say to you, that, unless ye be 
changed (in mind), and become like little children, ye 
will never enter ' the kingdom of heaven.' 

4. Wherefore, whosoever becometh humble like this 
little child, he is the greater in ' the kingdom of heaven.' 

5. And he that shall receive one such child for my sake, 
receiveth me ; 

(v. 27.) A stater. In value, 2s. 6d. 

(v. 1.) Who then is the greater — tlq apa iietfav— quis putas 
major. It appears from the Greek text, that this question, and the 
dispute respecting it, (Mark ix. 33 ; Luke ix. 46.) had arisen in 
consequence of something that our Saviour had previously said or 
done ; perhaps from the payment of the double drachm for himself 
and Peter, a distinction which seemed to place Peter above his 
brethren. 

(v. 3.) See c. v. v. 3. 



MATTHEW. 79 

6. But whosoever shall be the cause of sin to one of 
these little ones who believe in me, it were a benefit to 
him, if a millstone were hung at his neck, and he were 
plunged into the depth of the sea. 

7. Wo to the world on account of the causers of sin. 
That the causes of sin should be, is necessary : neverthe- 
less wo to the man, through whom such causes happen. 

8. If then thy hand or thy foot be to thee the cause of 
sin, cut them off, and cast them from thee : it is better 
for thee to enter into life lame or maimed, than to be cast 
with both thy hands or both thy feet into the everlasting 
fire. 

9. And if thine eye be to thee the cause of sin, tear it 
out, and cast it from thee : it is better for thee to enter 
with one eye into life, than to be cast with both eyes into 
the gehenna of fire. 

10. Beware how ye bear an evil will to one of these little 
ones : for I say to you, that their angels in heaven con- 
tinually behold the face of my father, who is in heaven. 



(v. 6.) Shall be the cause of sin — <ricav<)a\iffr) — shall cause to 
fall. It may refer to any kind of sin ; but here I think our Savi- 
our speaks of falling from the faith, from the profession of his 
religion. 

(v. 6.) Little ones — nucp&v — de pusillis. Our Saviour having 
declared that his followers should be humble as little children, pro- 
ceeds to speak of these followers under the designation of little 
ones. I would paraphrase his discourse thus : Whosoever shall 
seduce one of my little ones from his belief in me, it were better for 
that man that he were first drowned in the sea, (and do you 
remember that you should flee from all such seducers, how near or 
dear soever they may be). And let the man who seeks the ruin of 
these little ones know, that their angels will demand vengeance 
against their seducers from my father in heaven. For they are 
dear to us, as the lost sheep after it is found ; and it is not the will 
of my father, that any of them should perish. 

(v. 10.) Bear an evil will — mTa<ppovnor}T£. Here I prefer this, 



80 MATTHEW. 

11. For the son of man came to save that which was 
lost. 

12. What think ye ? If a man have a hundred sheep 
and one of them go astray, doth he not leave the ninety- 
nine on the mountains, and go in search of that, which 
is gone astray ? 

13. And if by chance he find it, verily I say to you, he 
rejoiceth more over it, than over the ninety-nine, that 
had not gone astray. 

14. In like manner it is not the will of your father, 
who is in heaven, that one of these little ones should 
perish." 

15. " If thy brother trespass against thee, go and con- 
vince him (of the wrong) between him and thee alone ; 

the radical meaning of the verb, to its more usual meaning of to 
despise. 

(Ibid.) Their angels. This passage plainly presupposes two 
things : first, that there are some angels who have the charge of 
Christ's little ones ; secondly, that these angels, though in heaven, 
(for they continually behold the face of the father) are still, by 
some means or other, acquainted with certain transactions upon 
earth. 

(v. 15.) If thy brother trespass. It should be observed : 
1. That these verses regard injuries inflicted by one brother on 
another — that is, by a Christian on a Christian. 2. That they 
regard the conduct of the injured party. Directions for the con- 
duct of the offender are to be found in c. v. v. 23. 3. That though 
revenge is forbidden, yet the injured party is allowed to seek 
redress in the manner described in v. 15, 16, 17. 4. That in con- 
sequence of this precept of our Saviour, the first Christians sub- 
mitted their private quarrels to the decision of the Church in place 
of the magistrate, and separated from their communion the party 
refusing to yield to such decision. See also 1 Cor. c.v'i. v. I, et 
seq. Was this precept of our blessed Lord of perpetual obliga- 
tion, or intended only for the first professors of Christianity ? If 
the first, all Christians, from a very early period, have transgressed 
it without scruple ; if the second, it will follow that the evangelist 
considered himself as writing for the use of the then existing gene- 
ration, and not laying down rules for all generations to come. 



MATTHEW. 81 

and, if he hearken to thee, thou hast gained thy 
brother. 

16. But if he will not hearken to thee, take with thee 
one or two more, that everything may stand on the evi- 
dence of two or three witnesses.— Dent. xix. 15. 

17. And, if he refuse to hear them, tell it to the church; 
and if he refuse to hear the church, let him be to thee as 
the heathen man and the tax-gatherer. 

18. Verily I say to you, that whatsoever things ye 
shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and what- 
soever things ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in 
heaven." 

19. " Again I say to you, that if two of you shall agree 
upon earth with respect to anything whatsoever that 
they shall ask, it shall be done for them by my father 
who is in heaven. 

20. For where two or three are gathered together in 
my name, there am I in the midst of them." 

21. Then Peter accosting him, said : " Lord, how often 
shall my brother trespass against me, and I forgive him ? 
As often as seven times ?" 

22. And Jesus said : " I do not say as often as seven 
times, but as often as seventy times seven. 

(v. 18.) In this verse, coupled with the preceding, our Saviour 
gives the power of excommunicating and of restoring to commu- 
nion. 

(v. 21, 22.) Is not this command to forgive, in opposition with 
the previous command to apply for redress to the church ? It 
appears from St. Luke, c. xvii. v. 3, 4, that the question was asked, 
in consequence of the injunction in v. 15 of this chapter, if he 
hearken to thee ; which, in St. Luke, is explained by if he repent, 
forgive him. Hence it is plain that the question of St. Peter pre- 
supposes this condition. How often was he to forgive the man 
who asked for forgiveness ? 



82 MATTHEW. 

23. Therefore ' the kingdom of heaven' is likened to a 
certain king, who intended to settle accounts with his 
bondmen. 

24. And when he began to settle accounts, one was 
presented to him, that owed him ten thousand talents. 

25. And, as he had not wherewith to pay, his lord 
ordered him to be sold, and his wife, and daughters, and 
all that he had, and payment to be made. 

26. But the bondman falling down, besought him, 
saying, ' Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.' 

27. And the lord, having compassion on that bondman, 
set him free, and forgave him the debt. 

28. But that bondman going out, found one of his 
fellow slaves that owed him a hundred denarii, and 
seizing him, he throttled him, and said, ' Pay me what 
thou owest.' 

29. And his fellow slave falling down, besought him, 
saying, ' Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.' 

30. But he would not. And going out, he cast him 
into prison, until he should pay the debt. 

31. Now his fellow slaves, seeing what had happened, 
were sorely grieved : and they came and told their lord 
all that happened. 

32. Then his lord called him, and said to him : ' Thou 
wicked slave, I forgave thee all the debt, because thou 
didst beseech me. 



(v. 23.) This is die first of the moral parables. 

(v. 24.) Ten thousand talents. A talent is thought to have 
been equal to £187. 10s. Ten thousand talents may have been a 
common expression for a very large but indefinite sum of money ; 
it is, however, remarkable, that it is the very sum which Haman 
undertook to pay to his sovereign, the king of Persia, in lieu of the 
tribute of the Jews. Esther, c. iii. v. 9. 

[v. 28.) A denarius was in value l^d. 



MATTHEW. 83 

33. Oughtest not thou then to have had compassion 
on thy fellow slave, as I had compassion on thee ?' 

34. And his lord, delivered him in anger to the jailors, 
until he should pay the whole debt. 

35. So likewise will my heavenly father do to you, 
unless ye forgive, every one his brother, from your hearts. 1 ' 



CHAPTER XIX. 

ON MARRIAGE AND RICHES. 

1. Now it came to pass that, when Jesus had ended 
this discourse, lie left Galilee, and came into the territory 
of Judea on the bank of the Jordan. 

2. And great multitudes followed him, and he healed 
them there. 

3. And the pharisees came to him to try him, and said : 
" Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every 
manner of cause ? 1 ' 

4. But he answered in these words: "Have ye not read 
that he who made (mankind) at the beginning made them 
a male and a female ; and said : 

(v. 33.) Fellow slave. As throughout this parable we have 
SovXoq in the original, I have rendered it slave, and not servant. 
What we mean by the word servant, was hardly known to the 
ancients. 

(v. 34.) BaaavHTraiQ. The word means tormentors, and thence 
jailors ; for the jailors treated prisoners for debt in the most inhu- 
man manner, that their relatives and friends, to relieve them from 
misery, might be induced to pay the debt. See examples in Livy, 
J Dec. I. i. vi. Halic. Hist. Rom. I. vi. Constantine the Great 
was the first who freed debtors from the punishment of the whip. 
Cod. Theod. de Exact. I. iv. vii. 

(v. 35.) This precept of forgiving from our hearts, is acknow- 
ledged, by all Christians, to be still in force, though that of seek- 
ing redress from the Church is no longer so. What is there in 
Scripture alone to justify the distinction ? 



84 MATTHEW. 

5. ' For this cause shall a man leave his father and mo- 
ther and hold to his wife, and the two shall become one 

flesh:— Gen. xi. 24. 

6. Wherefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. 
What then God hath joined, let not man put asunder." 

7. They say to him : " Why then did Moses order us 
to give her a bill of divorce, and put her away ?" — Deut. 
xxiv. 1. 

8. He replied : " It was on account of your perverse- 
ness that Moses suffered you to put away your wives : for 
at the beginning it was not so. 

9. But I say to you, that whosoever shall put away 
his wife unless it be for whoredom, and shall marry 
another, he is an adulterer; and he that marrieth the 
dismissed woman, is an adulterer." 

10. His disciples say to him, " If such be the case of 
the man with the wife, it is not worth the while to marry." 

11. He sayeth to them : " All men are not capable of 



{v. 9.) Here two questions may be asked. Do the words of 
our Saviour refer to Jewish divorces, as in c. v. v. 32 ; or to 
Christian divorces ? I answer, to the latter; for first, he is speak- 
ing now, not to the pharisees, but the apostles ; (see Mark x. 1 1 ) 
secondly, he could not have employed the words and marry ano- 
ther, if he were speaking of men among whom a plurality of wives 
was permitted. Does then this passage allow the parties to pass 
to second marriages, after a divorce for adultery ? Such would 
seem to be the more natural interpretation, if we were sure that the 
text is correct. But the omission of the exception, unless it be 
for whoredom, in the corresponding passages, (Mark x. 1 ] ; and 
Luke xvi. 18j and in the doctrine of St. Paul, (I Cor. vii. \0) 
will justify a suspicion that it has been transferred, by some copy- 
ist, to this place, from Matt. v. 32, where it refers to Jewish 
divorces. Clemens of Alexandria, who wrote about the close of 
the second century, tells us that the Scripture forbids divorce, 
unless on account of whoredom ; and looks on the marriage of 
either of the divorced parties as adultery during the life of the 
other : fxot-^eiav %e rjyetrai to £7riy^/xai £<jJvtoq Sariou tojv Ke^cjpia- 
fxivwp. Strom, ii. p. 424. 



MATTHEW. 85 

comprehending this doctrine : but only those to whom it 
hath been given. 

12. For there are eunuchs, who have been born so 
from the womb of their mothers ; and eunuchs who have 
been made eunuchs by men, and eunuchs who have 
made themselves eunuchs for the sake of ' the kingdom 
of heaven.' He that can, let him comprehend it." 

13. Then little children were presented to him, that 
he might lay hands upon them, and pray over them. 
Now his disciples found fault with them. 

14. But Jesus said to them : " Leave the children 
alone, and do not hinder them from coming to me. For 
it is of such that is ' the kingdom of heaven.' 

15. And, when he had laid his hands on them, he 
went away. 

16. And behold, a man came, and said to him, " Good 
master, what good must I do, to have everlasting life ?" 

17. And he said to him: " Why dost thou call me 
good? None is good but one, (that is), God. But, if 
thou wouldst enter into life, keep the commandments." 

18. He sayeth: "Which?" But Jesus said: " Thou 
shalt not commit murder ; thou shalt not commit adultery ; 
thou shalt not commit theft ; thou shalt not bear false tes- 
timony : 



[v. 11.) Not capable, &c. — 6v yupovai — non capiunt. The 
Greek verb means, to be of sufficient capacity to contain, and 
metaphorically to be able to understand or to act. It occurs in 
the same sense in the next verse. 

(v. 17.) Why dost thou call me good. There are two readings 
of this passage : ri fxe Xeyeig ayaQov, and " quid me interrogas de 
bono," both supported by authorities. To me the first appears the 
more apposite. See Mark x. 17. 



86 MATTHEW. 

19. Honour thy father and thy mother ; and, thou shalt 
love thy neighbour as thyself. ," — Ex* xx. 12. 

20. The young man sayeth to him : " All these things 
I have kept from my childhood. What else is wanting 
to me?" 

21. Jesus said to him: "If thou wouldst be perfect; 
go sell what thou hast, and give it to the poor, and thou 
wilt have treasure in heaven. Then come, and follow 
me." 

22. But when the young man had heard this, he went 
away sorrowful : for he was one who had much property. 

23. But Jesus said to his disciples : " Verily I say to 
you, that it is difficult for a rich man to enter ' the king- 
dom of heaven.' 

24. And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to 
pass through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to 
enter ' the kingdom of heaven.' " 

25. But his disciples hearing this, were stricken with 
exceeding amazement, saying, " Who then can be saved?" 

26. But Jesus looking on them, said : " With men this 
is impossible, but with God all things are possible." 

27. Then Peter took occasion to say : " Behold we 
have forsaken all things, and have followed thee : what 
then will be our (lot) ?" 

28. But Jesus said to them : " Verily I say to you, 
that ye, who have followed me, at the new birth of 



{v. 21.) See St. Mark, c. x. v.2\. 

(v. 24.) It is easier, &c. We are told that this was a proverb 
among the Jews, to express what was extremely difficult. It is 
plain that our Lord meant to be understood as speaking of what 
could not be effected by mere human means, exclusive of the grace 
of God. See v. 26. It required a strong grace in a rich man to 
do that which our Saviour had required of the last speaker. 



MATTHEW. 87 

things, when the son of man shall be seated on the throne 
of his glory, ye also shall sit on twelve thrones, rulers 
over the twelve tribes of Israel. 

29. And eveiy one who for my name's sake, shall have 
forsaken houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mo- 
ther, or wife, or children, or lands, shall receive a hundred 
fold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 

30. But many shall be first, that are last, and last that 
are first." 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE WORKMEN IN THE VINEYARD, AMBITION OF THE 
SONS OF ZEBEDEE, THE BLIND MEN OF JERICHO. 

1. " For ' the kingdom of heaven' is like to a house- 
holder, who went out at the dawn of day, to hire labour- 
ers for his vineyard. 

2. And having bargained with the labourers for a 
denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. 

3. And going out about the third hour, he saw others 
standing unemployed in the market-place. 

[v. 28.) Rulers over — Kpivovreg — judicantes. In the same 
sense as the book of the rulers is called the book of judges in the 
Old Testament. 

(v. 30.) The national prepossessions of the apostles might have 
led them to suppose, that the magnificent promise in the last verse 
regarded the Jews only. Wherefore, to prevent or to do away 
such delusion, our Lord proceeds to inform them, that many of the 
Gentiles, though called last, should be first ; and many of the 
Jews, though called first, should be last; in other words, that with 
regard to the rewards in his kingdom, both Jews and Gentiles 
would be placed on an equal footing. In illustration of this doc- 
trine, he relates to them the parable of the labourers in the vine- 
yard. 

[v. 3.) The third hour. That is, nine in the morning, accord- 
ing to our manner of reckoning. 



88 MATTHEW. 

4. And he said to them, c Go ye also into my vineyard ; 
and whatsoever may be right, I will give you.' 

5. And they went : and about the sixth and the ninth 
hour going out, he did in like manner. 

6. But about the eleventh hour, when he went out, he 
saw others standing unemployed ; and he said to them, 
' Why stand ye here the whole day, doing nothing ?' 

7. They say to him, ' Because no one hath hired us. 1 
He sayeth to them, ' Go ye also into my vineyard.' 

8. But, when the evening came, the master of the 
vineyard said to the overseer, call the workmen and pay 
them their wages, beginning with the last, and going 
back to the first.' 

9. And those of the eleventh hour coming, received 
each man a denarius. 

10. Now the first, when they came, expected to receive 
more : but they also received each man a denarius. 

11. And receiving it, they complained of the house- 
holder, 

12. Saying, ' These last worked a single hour, and thou 
hast made them equal to us, who have borne the burthen 
of the day and the heat.' 

13. But he, in answer to one of them, said, ' Friend, I 
do thee no wrong. Didst thou not bargain with me for 
a denarius ? 

14. Take thine own, and go thy way. It is my will to 
give to this man who came last, the same as to thee. 



{v. 5.) Sixth and ninth hour. That is, twelve at noon, and 
three in the afternoon. 

{v. 6.) Eleventh. About five in the afternoon. It should, 
however, be recollected, that the whole time between sunrise and 
sunset was divided into twelve equal parts or hours, and that con- 
sequently such divisions cannot exactly coincide with ours, except 
at the times of the vernal and autumnal equinox. 



MATTHEW. 89 

15. Have I not a right to do as I will, with mine own ? 
Or is thine eye evil, because I am good ?' 

16. It is thus that the last shall be first, and the first 
last. For the called are many, but the chosen few." 



17. And Jesus, as he was going up to Jerusalem, took 
the twelve disciples apart, in the way, and said to them : 

18. rt Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and the son of 
man will be delivered up to the chief priests and the 
scribes ; and they will condemn him to death ; 

19. And will give him over to the Gentiles to be 
mocked, and scourged, and crucified, and on the third 
day he will rise again." 



{v. 14.) With mine own — kv role, efioig. These words have 
been lost from the vulgate. 

(v. 16.) By many this parable has been explained of men 
beginning to serve God at different periods of life, from boyhood 
to death, and afterwards receiving the same heavenly recompense. 
In this hypothesis, the sinner converted on his death-bed is sup- 
posed to be represented by the labourer called at the eleventh hour. 
But there is no resemblance between them. The labourer had 
never been asked before, the dying sinner has received calls innu- 
merable ; the former works at least one hour, the latter repents 
indeed, but has no time to work at all. Neither can we suppose 
that those who have served God all their lives, complain of the 
reward given by Him to repentant sinners. 

From the preceding discourse of our Saviour, we should be led 
to expect, that the parable would regard the Jews as well as the 
Christians ; and its meaning seems to be., that all called into the 
Church of God have the same reward. First the Jews, then the 
Samaritans, then the proselytes of righteousness and of the gate, 
and last of all the Gentiles, were called ; these at the eleventh 
hour. Now we know that the Jewish Christians, like the labour- 
ers in v. 1 1, complained that all these classes were put on the same 
footing as themselves, or that the last were made first, and the 
first last ; and therefore, that they might be aware of this result, 
our Lord, on several occasions, was careful to foretell that it should 
be so. 



90 MATTHEW. 

20. Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebe- 
dee, with her sons, worshipping and petitioning him ; 

21. But he said to her, " What is it that thou wouldst ?" 
She sayeth to him : " Say, that these my two sons shall 
sit, the one on thy right hand, the other on thy left, in 
thy kingdom." 

22. But Jesus made answer : " Ye know not what ye 
ask. Can ye drink of the cup, of which I have to 
drink ?" They say to him " We can." 

23. He sayeth to them : " Of my cup, indeed ye shall 
drink : but to sit on my right hand and on my left, it is 
not my office to give to you, but to those for whom it 
hath been prepared by my father. 

24. And the ten hearing this, felt resentment against 
the two brothers. 

25. But Jesus, calling them to him, said : " Ye know 
that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their 
great men govern them with rigour. 

26. It shall not be so with you : but whosoever would 
become great among you, let him be your serving man ; 

27. And he, that would be first among you, let him be 
your slave. 

28. Even as the son of man came, not to be served, but 
to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." 

29. And, as they left Jericho, a great multitude fol- 
lowed him ; 

30. And behold, two blind men, who were sitting by 



(v. 23.) He had not yet " received the kingdom from his 
father," and therefore had not yet authority to grant such petition. 
He was come to suffer death, not to reward his friends. Or it may 
mean, that it was not for him to alter arrangements which had 
already been made by his father. 

(v. 26.) Serving man — ^toKoroc— minister. 



MATTHEW. 91 

the road side, when they heard that Jesus was passing, 
cried out, saying, " Lord, thou son of David, have pity 
upon us." 

31. Now the people rebuked them, to make them hold 
their peace : but they cried out the more, saying, " Lord, 
thou son of David, have pity upon us." 

32. And Jesus stopped, and calling them, said, "What 
would ye that I do to you ?" 

33. They said to him, " Lord, that our eyes be opened." 

34. And Jesus pitying them, touched their eyes. And 
immediately they recovered their sight, and followed him. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM: HIS ACTIONS IN THE 
TEMPLE, PARABLES. 

1. And, when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and 
were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then 
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them ; 

2. " Go unto the village which is over against you, 
and ye will immediately find an ass tied, and a colt with 
her. Loose them, and bring them to me. 

3. And if any man say aught to you, ye shall say that 
the Lord hath need of them, and he will immediately let 
them come." 

4. Now all this was done to fulfil what was spoken by 
the prophet, when he said, 

5. Tell ye the daughter of Sion, behold thy king is coming 
to thee, meek, and mounted on an ass, the foal of one used 
to the yoke.—Zach. ix. 9. 

(v. 1.) Mount of Olives. It was situated on the east of Jeru- 
salem, at the distance of five or six furlongs. Between the city 
and the mountain was the deep valley of Cedron. 

(v. 5.) Daughter of Sion. Jerusalem, which included Mount 
Sion. 



92 MATTHEW. 

6* And the disciples went and did accordingly as Jesus 
had commanded them ; 

7. And they brought the ass and the colt, and laid 
their cloaks upon them, and set him thereon. 

8. Now the greatest part of the people strewed their 
cloaks in the way ; but others cut off branches from the 
trees, and strewed them in the way. 

9. And the multitude that went before and that followed, 
called out, saying, " Hosanna to the son of David : blessed 
be he that cometh in the name of the Lord, (Ps. cvii. 24.) 
Hosannah in the highest (heavens)." 

10. And, at his entry iuto Jerusalem, the whole city 
was in commotion, saying, " Who is this man ?" 

11. But the people said: " He is Jesus the prophet, 
he who cometh from Nazareth of Galilee." 

12. And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and 
drove thence all the sellers and buyers in the temple, 

(v. 7.) And set him thereon — ettcivio avr&v. It is plain that 
he sat on one only, though here it is said that he sat on both. In 
like manner, in c. xxvii. v. 44, it is said that the thieves crucified 
with him reviled him ; and yet it is probable, from Luke xxiii. 39, 
that one only did so. 

[v. 8.) Strewed their garments in the way. That this was a 
custom among the Jews, is shewn from 4 Kings, ix. 13, where, at 
the anointment of Jehu, they put their garments under him, and 
blew with trumpets, * Jehu is king.' 

{v. 9.) Hosanna — save^ or prosper — a cry answering to our 
vivat, or live. 

(v. 9.) The highest — ev toiq v\piaroiQ — in altissimis. The word 
heavens is understood. The Jews admitted three heavens, and 
placed the throne of God in the highest of the three. Thou, who 
dwellest, is here understood. 

(v. 12.) Temple — to iapov. The sacred place, comprehending, 
not only the sanctuary, but all the courts and buildings which had 
been consecrated. The buyers and sellers were in the outer court, 
where those Gentiles who had renounced idolatry, but had not 
submitted to the law of Moses, were permitted to worship. All 
the following events occurred in this court, or the neighbourhood. 



MATTHEW. 93 

and overturned the tables of the money-changers, and 
the stalls of those who sold doves. 

13. And he sayeth to them : " It is written, my house 
shall be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it a 
den of thieves.'" — Is. lvi. 7 ; Jer. vii. 11. 

14. And the blind and the lame came to him in the 
temple, and he healed them . 

15. But the chief priests and the scribes, seeing the 
wonders which he wrought, and the children shouting 
in the temple, and saying, " Hosanna to the son of 
David," were sorely vexed. 

16. And they said to him : " Dost thou hear what 
these say ?" But Jesus said to them : " Yea. Have ye 
never read the text, out of the mouth of infants and suck- 
lings thou hast brought due praise ?" — Ps. viii. 3. 

17. And leaving them, he went forth out of the city to 
Bethania, and lodged there. 

18. But in the morning, as he returned to the city, he 
felt hungry. 

19. And seeing a fig tree, single by the road side, he 
went to it, and found nothing on it but only leaves, and 
he said to it : " May fruit never grow on thee hereafter." 
And the fig tree withered at once. 

20. And the disciples saw it, and wondered, saying : 
" How it withered at once !" 

21. But Jesus made answer to them : " Verily I say 
to you, if ye have faith without wavering, not only may 
ye do as I have done to the fig tree, but were ye to say 
to this mountain, ( be thou lifted up, and cast into the 
sea,' it shall be done. 

{v. 16.) Hast brought due praise — /carJ/prtVw — perfecisti. As 
I know of no word in English which gives the full meaning of the 
Greek verb, I have been obliged to add the epithet due to the noun. 



94 MATTHEW. 

22. And whatsoever things ye shall ask for in prayer 
with faith, all those things ye shall receive." 

23. And after he had entered the temple, as he was 
teaching, the chief priests and elders of the people came 
to him, and said : " By what authority doest thou these 
things ?" and " who gave thee this authority ?" 

24. And Jesus made this answer : " I have also one 
question to ask you, which if ye answer to me, I will 
then tell you by what authority I do these things. 

25. The baptism given by John, whence was it ? from 
heaven, or of men ?" But they reasoned with themselves 
thus : 

26. " If we say, from heaven, he will say to us, ' why 
then did you not believe him ?' if we say, of men, we fear 
the people ;" for all looked on John as a prophet. 

27. Then in answer to Jesus they said : " We do not 
know." And he said to them : " Neither do I tell you 
by what authority I do these things. 

28. But what think ye ? A certain man had two sons, 
and ^accosting the first, he said, ' Son, go, and work to- 
day in my vineyard.' 

29. Now he replied, ' I will not ;' but afterwards 
repented, and went. 

30. Then accosting the other, he spake to him in the 
same manner ; who replied, ' I go, sir,' and yet went not. 

31. Which of the two did the will of his father?" 
They say to him : " The first." Jesus sayeth to them : 



[v. 30.) This is an exact representation. The publicans and 
harlots, like the first son, refused to do the will of their father, hut 
afterwards repented at the preaching of John, and did it. The 
pharisees, on the contrary, made profession of doing his will, but 
never did it. 



MATTHEW. 95 

" Verily I say to you, that the tax-gatherers and harlots 
will go before you into the c kingdom of God.' 

32. For John came to you in the way of godliness, and 
ye did not believe him, though the tax-gatherers and the 
harlots believed him. Nor did ye afterwards, though ye 
saw this, repent, so as to believe him." 

33. " Another parable hear ye. There was a certain 
man, a householder, who planted a vineyard, and sur- 
rounded it with a fence, and dug in it a wine vault, and 
built a tower, and farmed it out to husbandmen, and 
went abroad. 

34. And, when the vintage approached, he sent his 
bondmen to the husbandmen, to receive the produce. 

35. And the husbandmen seizing his bondmen, 
scourged one, and slew another, and stoned a third. 

36. Again he sent other bondmen in greater number 
than the first, and they treated them in the same manner. 

37. And at last he sent to them his son, saying, 'They 
will shew respect to my son.' 

38. But the husbandmen, seeing the son, said within 
themselves : ' This is the heir : come, let us kill him, and 
keep his inheritance.' 

39. And they seized him, cast him out of the vineyard, 
and put him to death. 

40. When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall 
come, what will he do to these husbandmen ?" 

41. They say to him : " He will bring these evil men 



(v. 33.) Wine vault — \rjvov — torcular. The meaning is deter- 
mined by the corresponding passage in St. Mark, (xii. 1 ) where 
we read vnokiiviov, a vault under the press, to receive the wine, 
and served either as a vat or a cellar. 

{v. 35.) Scourged — edeipav — ceciderunt. It means, to flay by 
scourging. 



96 MATTHEW. 

to an evil end ; and will farm his vineyard out to other 
husbandmen, who will render to him the produce in due 
season." 

42. Jesus sayeth to them : " Have ye never read 
in the Scriptures, the stone, which the builders rejected, 
the same is made the head of the corner. It hath been 
made so of the lord, and is a wonderful thing in our 
eyes. — Ps. cxvii. 22. 

43. Therefore I say to you, that c the kingdom of 
God' shall be taken from you, and be given to a nation, 
that will yield the fruit thereof. 

44. And he, that shall fall upon this stone, shall be 
sorely bruised ; and he on whom it shall fall, shall be 
crushed to atoms." 

45. And when the chief priests and the pharisees had 
heard his parables, they knew that he spake concerning 
them. 



(v. 42.) It has been — avrtj. This word agrees with KetyaXr), 
the head of the corner. 

{v. 44.) Crushed to atoms — \i/cp?<ra — conteret. The Greek 
means, it shall reduce him to chaff. Our Saviour probably 
alluded to Dan. ii. 35, where the stone is represented as reducing 
the iron, clay, brass, silver, and gold, to chaff, like that of the 
threshing floor, which the wind carries away. 

{v. 45.) The application of this parable is obvious. The vine- 
yard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel. For this pur- 
pose he had, first, in a miraculous manner, watched over the race 
of Abraham, from their descent into Egypt, to their settlement in 
the land of Canaan ; secondly, he had made a covenant with them 
in Horeb ; thirdly, he had sent a long succession of prophets to 
remind them of the obligations of that covenant, but these pro- 
phets they had treated with disrespect, refusing to hearken to 
some, imprisoning and tormenting others, and putting several to 
death. Fourthly, now he had sent them his only son, in the per- 
son of the speaker ; fifthly, him also they would put to death ; 
sixthly, in punishment he would destroy their nation, and transfer 
from them the privilege of being the children of God, to the diffe- 
rent tribes of the Gentiles. 



MATTHEW. 97 

46. But seeking as they did to apprehend him, they 
feared the people, because they looked upon him as a 
prophet. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

SEVERAL DISCOURSES BETWEEN JESUS AND 
THE PHARISEES. 

1. And Jesus took occasion to speak to them again in 
parables, saying-, 

2. " The kingdom of heaven is like to a man, a king, 
who made a wedding feast for his son. 

3. And he sent his bondmen to call those that were 
bidden to the feast, but they would not come. 

4. Again he sent other bondmen saying : ' Tell ye them 
that were bidden ; behold I have prepared my dinner ; 
my oxen and fatlings are killed, and all things are 
ready ; come ye to the wedding.' 

5. But they minded not, and went their way, one to 
his farm, and another to his merchandize ; 

6. And the rest seized his bondmen, and used them 
ill, and put them to death. 

7. But, when the king heard of this, he was wroth : 
and, sending forth his armies, he destroyed these murder- 
ers, and burned their city. 

8. Then said he to his bondmen : " The wedding feast, 
indeed, is ready ; but those that were bidden, were not 
worthy. 



(v. 7.) It was impossible that the pharisees should not see the 
object of our Saviour. He describes, in this part of the parable, 
their rejection of the Gospel, their future persecution of its minis- 
ters, and the destruction of Jerusalem in punishment of their 
blindness and obstinacy. 

H 



98 MATTHEW. 

9. Go ye therefore to the outlets of the ways, and 
whomsoever ye shall find, bid ye them to the feast. 

10. And those bondmen going forth into the ways, 
gathered together all whom they found, bad and good ; 
and the feast was furnished with guests. 

11. But the king entered to see the guests; and he 
saw there a man without a wedding garment. 

12. And he said to him, ' Friend, how earnest thou 
here without a wedding garment V But he held his 
peace. 

13. Then said the king to the waiters; 'Bind him 
hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into the 
darkness without: there shall be the weeping and the 
gnashing of teeth.' 

14. For the called are many, but the chosen few." 

15. Then the pharisees withdrew, and consulted toge- 
ther, how to lay a snare for him in discourse. 

16. And they sent their disciples to him in company 
with Herodians, saying, " Master, we know that thou art 
without deceit, and teachest the way of God in truth ; 
and carest not for any one ; for thou lookest not on the 
persons of men. 



(v. 10.) This and the two preceding verses are a prediction of 
the calling of the Gentiles, in place of the unbelieving Jews. 

(v. 12.) How earnest thou, &c. But was it not rather a won- 
der that any of them should have wedding garments, when they 
were suddenly brought together, good and bad, from the highways 
and the hedges ? Luke xiv. 23. It is replied, that according to 
the custom of the East, the king's officers had presented a wed- 
ding o-arment to each guest; why this man had not accepted it we 
know not. The meaning, however, is plain, that it is not suffi- 
cient to be called to the faith of Christ, but also necessary to be 
clothed with the virtues of the Christian. 

(?;. 16, 22.) Herodians. See Mark viii. 15, note. 



MATTHEW. 99 

17. Tell us therefore thine opinion. Is it lawful to 
pay the tax to Caesar, or not ?" 

18. But Jesus, who perceived their malice, said, " Why 
do ye make this trial of me, ye hypocrites ? 

19. Shew me the money for the tax." And they pre- 
sented to him a denarius. 

20. And Jesus sayeth to them, " Whose image and 
inscription is this ?" 

21. They say to him, " Caesar's." Then he sayeth to 
them ; " Render therefore to Caesar the things which are 
Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's." 

22. And they marvelled at this answer, and, leaving 
him, went their way. 

23. On the same day there came to him sadducees, who 
say there is no resurrection, and they questioned him 
thus; 

24. " Master, Moses hath said, that, if any one die, 
without children, his brother shall marry the widow, and 
raise up issue to his brother. — Deut. xxv. 3. 

25. Now there were among us seven brothers. The 
first married and died : and not having issue, left his 
wife to his brother. 

26. In like manner the second, and the third, and all 
the seven. 

27. And last of all the woman herself died. 

28. At the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the 
seven will she be ? For all of them had her." 

29. But Jesus in answer said : " Ye are in error : ye 
understand not the Scriptures, nor the power of God. 



{v. 17.) The tax to Cesar. In Josephus, (Ant. xiv. \0) 
may be seen many decrees by Julius Caesar, respecting the tax 
imposed by him on the Jews. 

H 2 



100 MATTHEW. 

30. For at the resurrection they marry not, nor are 
given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. 

31. But with respect to the resurrection of the dead, 
have ye not read what God hath said to you, in these 
words ? 

32. ' / am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, 
and the God of Jacob.' — Ex. iii. 6. God is not God 
of the dead, but of those that live." 

33. And the people hearing him, were amazed at his 
doctrine. 

34. When the pharisees heard that he had silenced 
the sadducees, they met together ? 

35. And one of them a teacher of the law, put to him 
this question to try him, 

36. u Master, what is the great commandment in the 
law ?" 

37. Jesus said to him : " Thou shalt love the Lord thy 
God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soid, and with all 
thy mind. — Deut. vi. 5. 

38. This is the first and great commandment. 

39. And the second is like to it : thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself. — Lev. xix. 18. 

40. On these two commandments depend the whole 
law and the prophets." 



{v. 32.) See note, Mark xii. 27. 

(v. 36.) What is — -Kola — quod. Some translate it, of what 
kind. But the answer shews the real meaning to have been 
which, or what. We are told that it was a subject of dispute 
among the Jews whether the precept of circumcision or of the sab- 
bath were the most important in the law. This points out the 
object of the teacher in putting the question ; it was to make a 
trial of our Saviour's learning. 



MATTHEW. 101 

41. While the pharisees remained together, Jesus ques- 
tioned them ; 

42. In these words, " What think ye of the Messiah ? 
Whose son is he?" They say to him, " David's." 

43. He replieth, " How then doth David by inspiration 
call him his Lord, saying, 

44. The Lord (Jehova), said to my Lord, sit on my right 
hand, till L make thine enemies thy footstool. — Ps. cix. 1, 2. 

45. If then David call him his Lord, how is he his 
son ?" 

46. And no man was able to return him any answer : 
nor did any one dare from that day forth to put questions 
to him. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE VICES OF THE PHARISEES. 

1. Then Jesus spake to the people and to his disciples, 

2. Saying. " The scribes and the pharisees sit on the 
seat of Moses. 

3. Whatsoever things, therefore, they tell you to ob- 
serve, observe ye and do : but according to their deeds do 
ye not : for they talk, but do not practise. 

4. For they bind together heavy and insupportable 
burthens, and lay them on the shoulders of men, but will 
not move a finger to lighten them. 

5. And all their works they do to be seen of men : and 
they make broad their phylacteries, and large the tufts of 
their garments ; 



{v. 5.) Phylacteries. The pharisees interpreting literally the 
precept in Deut. vi. 8, used to write out portions of the law on 
scrolls or slips of parchment, and bind them on their hands and 
foreheads. These slips were called phylacteries, or preservers of 
the law. 



102 MATTHEW. 

6. And love the uppermost places at feasts, and the 
first seats in the synagogues, 

7. And salutations in the markets, and to be called of 
men, Rabbi. 

8. But be not ye called, Rabbi ; for ye have but one 
teacher, and ye are all brethren. 

9. Neither call ye any one father upon earth : for ye 
have but one father, him who is in heaven. 

1 0. Nor be ye called leaders, for ye have but one leader, 
the Messiah. 

11. But he, who is the greater among you, shall be 
your serving man. 

12. And whosoever will exalt himself shall be humbled, 
and whosoever will humble himself, shall be exalted. 

13. Wo to you, ye scribes and pharisees, hypocrites ; 
because ye .shut i the kingdom of heaven' in the face of 
men : for ye enter not yourselves, nor permit those, that 
are going in, to enter. 

14. Wo to you, ye scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, 
because ye eat up the families of widows, pretending to 
pray long prayers : therefore shall ye receive a more 
abundant punishment. 

15. Wo to you, ye scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, for 
ye compass the sea and the land, to make a single prose- 



(v. 8.) Ye are all brethren. There can be little doubt that 
these words belong to the next verse, and have, by some accident, 
been transposed. In the same manner, the latter half of this 
verse has been lost in the Greek, and its place has been supplied 
from v. 10. 

{v. 15.) Ye compass, &c. Their zeal is noticed also by the 
Roman satyrist : 

" Veluti tc 
Judaei, cogemus in banc concedere turbam." 



MATTHEW. 103 

lyte ; and, when he is become one, ye make him a son of 
hell doubly more than yourselves. 

16. Wo to you, ye blind guides, who say ' whosoever 
sweareth by the sanctuary, it is nothing, but he that 
sweareth by the gold of the sanctuary is bound.' 

17. Foolish and blind as ye are, whether is greater, the 
gold or the temple that halloweth the gold ? 

18. ' And whosoever sweareth by the altar it is nothing: 
but he that sweareth by the offering upon it, is bound.' 

19. Blind as ye are, whether is greater, the offering, or 
the altar that halloweth the offering ? 

20. He then that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, 
and by all the things placed thereon. 

21. And whosoever sweareth by the sanctuary, swear- 
eth by it and by him who dwelleth therein. 

22. And he that sweareth by heaven, sweareth by the 
throne of God, and by him, who sitteth thereon. 

23. Wo to you, ye scribes andpharisees, hypocrites, for 
ye pay tithe of mint, and dill and cummin, but omit the 
more difficult matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and 
faithfulness. Those things ye should have done, and 
not have omitted these. 



(Ibid.) Doubly more than yourselves. How was that ? Per- 
haps it means, that instead of correcting the former vices of the 
proselyte, they taught him to add to them those vices in which 
they indulged themselves. But this is one of the many passages 
which we cannot satisfactorily explain, because we are ignorant of 
the particulars to which our Lord alluded, and which were well 
known to the contemporaries of the evangelist. 

(v. 16.) Sanctuary — rf vau> — templo. Templum comprehends 
both the sanctuary and all the adjoining buildings consecrated to 
the worship of God ; vaog is confined to the more holy part of the 
temple, in which God was supposed to dwell. The distinction is 
always preserved in the original, and ought to be preserved in the 
translation. I shall therefore render vade sanctuary, (for want of 
a better word) and upov temple. 



104 MATTHEW. 

24. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat, yet swallow a 
camel. 

25. Wo to you, ye scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, 
for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, 
whilst within they are full of injustice and uncleanness. 

26. Blind pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup 
and the platter, that the outside also may be clean. 

27. Wo to you, ye scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, 
for ye are like to whitened sepulchres, which outwardly 
appear beautiful to men, but inwardly are full of dead 
bones and of all manner of uncleanness. 

28. So ye, outwardly indeed, appear righteous to men: 
but inwardly are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 

29. Wo to you, ye scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; 
for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the 
monuments of the righteous. 

30. And say, ' Had we been in the days of our fathers, 
we should not have partaken with them in the blood of 
the prophets.' 

3i. So that ye bear witness to yourselves, that ye are 
the children of those who slew the prophets. 

32. Therefore do ye fill up the measure of your fathers. 

33. Ye serpents, broods of vipers, how may ye escape 
from the damnation of hell ? 

34. For this, behold, I send to you prophets, and wise 
men and scribes ; yet some of them ye will slay and cru- 



(v. 24.) The metaphor is taken from the passing of wine through 
a strainer. 

(v. 25.) Uncleanness — uKpaaia — immunditia. It is plain 
that the Latin translator read aKadapaia, the better reading. 

[v. 28.) Iniquity —avofilag — transgression of the law. 

(v. 32.) Do ye Jill up. That is, though ye condemn your 
fathers, yet by pursuing the same course, and committing the 
same crimes, ye will exhaust the patience of God. 



MATTHEW. 105 

cify, and others ye will scourge in your synagogues, and 
drive from city to city. 

35. So that on you will come all the righteous blood, 
which hath been shed on the land, from the blood of 
Abel the righteous to the blood of Zachary, the son of 
Barachias, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the 
altar. 

36. Verily 1 say to you, all these things will come upon 
this generation. 

37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that slayest the pro- 
phets, and stonest them that are sent to thee, how often 
have I sought to gather together thy children, as a hen 
gathereth her nestlings under her wings, and thou wouldst 
not. 

38. Lo, your house is left to you desolate. 

39. For I say to you, never henceforth shall ye see my 
face, till ye say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of 
the Lord" 



{v. 35.) The blood of Zachary. In 2 Chron. xxiv. 20, we 
read of Zachary, the high priest, who was slain between the sanc- 
tuary and the altar ; but he was not the son of Barachias. Zach- 
ary, the prophet, was the son of Barachias, but we have no evi- 
dence that he was slain between the sanctuary and the altar. 
Besides, the scope of our Saviour's discourse seems to point out a 
recent fact, whereas the first of the Zacharies died above eight, 
the second above five hundred years before. 

Several of the ancient writers, the first of whom is Origen, (in 
Matt. torn. x. c. \8) take it for a well known fact, that the person 
so slain was Zachary, the father of John the baptist. But in that 
case our Saviour would probably have distinguished him by the 
name of his son, and not of his father. 

It is very possible that the event to which allusion is made, may 
have taken place a little before this discourse, though we have no 
account of it : but it is scarcely possible, as some think, that the 
passage may be prophetic, and relate to the death of Zachary, the 
son of Baruch, a righteous man, who was slain by the Jews within 
the precincts of the temple, about three years before its destruction. 
See Jos. de Bello, iv. 5. 



106 MATTHEW. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 

1. Now Jesus, having- gone out, was walking away 
from the temple, when his disciples came to him to shew 
him the buildings of the temple. 

2. But Jesus said to them : " Look ye at all these things ? 
Verily I say to you, there will not be left here a stone 
upon a stone that will not be disjointed. 

3. And, as he was sitting on the mount of Olives, his 
disciples accosted him privately, saying, " Tell us when 

[v. 2.) Stone upon a stone. This was literally verified by the 
destruction of Jerusalem under Titus, a destruction so complete, 
that with the exception of the towers left for the use of the gar- 
rison, there remained nothing to remind the traveller that the 
place had ever been inhabited : tog jutj^e irto7ror oiKndrivai ttiot- 
tov av stl irapaaytlv roi~g 7rpo(reXdovaiy. Jos. de Bel. vii. 1. 

(r. 3.) Of the expiration of the age — rrjg arvyreXeiag -ov aitovog 
— consummationis sseculi. It is of importance to ascertain the 
meauing of this expression, by which many commentators have 
understood the end of the ivorld. That rdvra (these things) 
refer to the prediction in v. 2, and the other judgments which our 
Saviour had recently denounced against the Jews, and that irapaata 
(presence) means his coming to execute, or rather his execution 
of, those judgments, is admitted by all ; and it appears equally 
clear to me, that by avvreksia rov auovog we are to understand the 
result of those judgments, in the entire dissolution of the Jewish 
economy, both religious and civil. For first, the language of the 
question does not appear applicable to events so far distant from 
each other as the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the world, but to 
events that are perfectly synchronous. The disciples ask not for 
the signs of two independent transactions, but for the sign of two 
parts of the same transaction. Secondly, St. Mark has pointed 
out the real meaning of the expression, by substituting for it the 
sign ivhcn all these things are about to be accomplished, (Mark 
xiii. 4) employing the verb avrreXeicrdai in place of the noun 
awTEkdu. Thirdly, our Lord, in his answer, declares that all the 
predictions in that answer shall be fulfilled before the existing gene- 
ration has passed away. Of course the awriKeia must have hap- 



MATTHEW. 107 

these things will be, and what will be the sign of thy 
presence, and of the expiration of the age ?" 

4. And Jesus made them this answer. " Take heed 
that no one deceive you. 

5. For many will come in my name, saying, ' I am the 
Messiah,' and will deceive many. 

6. And ye will hear of wars and rumours of wars. 
Take heed that ye be not alarmed : for these things must 
be, but the end is not yet. 

7. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom 
against kingdom, and there will be famines, and plagues, 
and earthquakes in (sundry) places. 

8. But all these things are the beginning of the throes. 



pened in the lapse of a few years. Hence I have rendered it lite- 
rally the expiration of the age, meaning by these words the con- 
clusion of the Mosaic dispensation. St. Paul, who wrote before 
the destruction of Jerusalem, uses a similar expression to denote 
the time of our Saviour's death. He died e-rri avpreXeiq. twv 
aiwvuv. Heb. ix. 26. 

{v. 6.) The end is not yet. What end ? The end of the 
world ? No, certainly ; but that end of which the apostles had 
inquired— the destruction of the city and temple. 

(v. 8.) The beginning of the throes. It should be observed, 
that the events noticed in v. 6, 7, 8, are not signs of the imme- 
diate approach of destruction, but are mentioned by our Lord to 
prevent his disciples from mistaking them for such. They are 
told, therefore, not to be alarmed at them : they are not the end, 
they are only the beginning of the throes. 

When then did these events happen ? They began within three 
or four years after our Saviour's death, and recurred, at intervals, 
till the arrival of Cestius Gallus at Jerusalem in 66, four years 
before the destruction of the city. Within that interval we read 
of wars and rumours of wars, of insurrections and affrays between 
the natives of Judea and Samaria, and between the Jewish and 
Gentile populations in most of the great cities in the East ; in 
Alexandria, Silencia, Ctesiphon, in Mesopotamia, in Scythopolis, 
Ascalon, Tyre, Ptolemais, Alexandria again, and in Damascus. 
Nor were they bloodless affrays ; for if the numbers in Josephus 



108 MATTHEW. 

9. At that time will they deliver you up to tribulation, 
and will put you to death, and ye will be hated of all 
nations for my name's sake. 

10. And at that time many will be made to fall ; and 
they will deliver up one another, and hate one another. 

11. And many false prophets will rise up, and seduce 
many. 

12. And, on account of the abounding of iniquity, the 
charity of many will grow cool. 

13. But whosoever endureth to the end, that man shall 
be saved. 

14. And these good tidings of the kingdom shall be 
announced in the whole world, for a testimony to all 
nations, and then the end will come." 



are correct, the Jews who perished in them, men, women, and 
children, amounted to 150,000. 

Our Saviour mentions in addition famines, plagues, and earth- 
quakes. Now, though many such afflictions may have taken 
place without being recorded by historians, several instances are 
yet to be found in their writings. Famine in Judea is mentioned 
accidentally in Acts xi. 28, and by Josephus, Ant. iii. 15. Pes- 
tilence we know to be generally the companion of famine, and one 
in Italy is noticed by Tacitus, anno 65 (Ann. xvi. 13 J Earth- 
quakes in Italy and Asia happened in the years 51, 58, 60, 62, 
63. Tac. xii. 58, xiv. 27, xv. 22 ; Seneca, torn. v. 301, 307. 

[v. 9.) At, that is, during that time. Even out of the four 
apostles to whom our Saviour spoke this, one, James, was actually 
put to death, and another, Peter, was committed to prison for the 
same purpose. Acts xii. 2, 3. See also Acts iv. v. vii. xxi. ; 
2 Thess. i. 3 ; James ii. 5 ; 2 Pet. iv. 12 ; Justin Mart. 234,; 
Tac. xv. 44 ; Suet, in Claud, xxv. in Ner. xvi. 

(v. 10.) This was likely to be the case, in consequence of per- 
secution. See 2 Tim. i. 15, iv. 16; and the testimony of Tacitus : 
" Correpti qui fatebantur ; deinde indicio eorum multitudo ingens." 
Ann. xv. 44. 

(y. 11.) For false prophets, consult 2 Pet. ii. 1, iii. 3 ; 1 John 
ii. 18, iv. I ; 2 John 7 ; Jude 4. 

(v. 14.) In the whole world — iv o\n rij olkhixivij — in universo 
orbe. According to St. Mark (xvi. 20) and St. Paul, (Rom. 



MATTHEW. 109 

15. " When therefore ye see the abomination of deso- 
lation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet {Ban. 
(ix. 26.) standing on holy ground" — let him who readeth 
understand — 

16. " Then let those in Judea flee unto the mountains ; 

17. And he that is on the house-top, let him not descend 
to take any thing out of his house, 



i. 8, x. 18 ; Col. i. 6, 23,) this prophecy had been fulfilled in their 
time, and yet they wrote before the fall of Jerusalem. In fact, 
there were colonies of Jews in all the great towns of the Roman 
empire, and beyond the Euphrates ; and all these yearly sent tri- 
bute and deputies to worship in the temple, so that the Christian 
missionaries had by them great facilities for spreading the know- 
ledge of the Gospel into distant countries. 

(Ibid.) The end will come. That same end which in v. 6 was 
not yet, and of which it is said, that he who endiweth until it, 
shall be saved (v. 13.) 

(v. 15.) After this previous warning, our Saviour proceeds to 
the real sign of the approaching destruction — that is, the abomi- 
nation of desolation standing on holy, ground. Of its meaning 
we can have no doubt ; for it has been translated into ordinary 
language by St. Luke. When ye shall see Jerusalem surrounded 
by armies, know that her desolation is at hand. Luke xxi. 20. 
The Roman armies are called abomination, for they were so to 
the Jews, on account of the idols on their standards ; and abomi- 
nation of desolation, on account of the destruction which they 
wrought. 

But when did this sign take place ? In the year 66, when Ces- 
tius Gallus besieged Jerusalem, from the 4th to the 12th of Octo- 
ber. Jos. de Bel. ii. 19. Then, at the breaking up of the siege., 
was the time for the Christians to provide for their own safety by 
leaving the city, and fleeing to the mountains ; and this, if we may 
believe the traditionary account of the ancient Christians, they 
did, having sought and found an asylum in Pella, on the northern 
boundary of Persea. Euseb. Hist. iii. 5, 11 ; Epiph. i. 123, 126 ; 
ii. 171. 

(Ibid.) Let him who readeth, understand. This does not 
appear to me part of our Saviour's discourse, but an admonition 
addressed by the evangelist to his readers, that they should take 
notice of that which so nearly concerned their own safety. 

(v. 17, 18.) We have also the meaning of these two verses 



HO MATTHEW. 

1 8. And he that is in the country, let him not turn back 
to carry away his clothes. 

19. And wo to the women that are with child, or that 
give suck in those days. 

20. And pray that your flight may not happen in win- 
ter, or on the sabbath. 

21. For there will be at that time great distress, such 
as never was from the beginning of the world, and never 
will be. 

' 22. And, unless those days were cut short, no flesh 
would be saved, but, for the sake of the chosen ones, those 
days shall be cut short. 

23. At that time, if any man say to you, lo, here is the 
Messiah, or there, believe him not. 

24. For false Messiahs, and false prophets will rise up, 
and will shew forth mighty signs and wonders, so as to 
draw astray, if it were possible, even the chosen. 

25. Behold I have told you beforehand. 

26. If then they tell you, lo, he is in the wilderness, go 
ye not out : lo, in the closet, believe it not. 



given in plainer language by St. Luke. Let those who are in the 
midst of Jerusalem go out of her, and those who are in the country 
not go into her. — Luke xxi. 21. 

{v. 20.) Or on the sabbath. This is a plain proof of the will 
of our Saviour, that till this period the Hebrew Christians should 
keep the sabbath. 

(v. 22.) Were not cut short. I explain these days of the siege 
by Cestius. On the sixth great attack, the Romans had pene- 
trated to the northern gate of the temple, and were preparing to 
set it on fire. The city, to all appearance, was won, for the armed 
men fled, and the others threw open the gates, to implore the 
mercy of the conqueror ; when, without any visible reason, the 
Roman general ordered a retreat, and withdrew to a distance. 
Jos. de Bel. ii. 19. Thus die siege was raised, the duration of it 
cut short, and an opportunity was afforded to the elect to save 
themselves, by withdrawing from a place doomed to destruction. 



MATTHEW. Ill 

27. For as the lightning cometh out from the East and 
is visible unto the West, so will the presence of the son 
of man be. 

28. For wheresoever the carcass may be, there will the 
eagles gather together." 

29. " Now immediately after the distress of those days, 
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her 
light ; and the stars will fall from heaven, and the pow- 
ers of heaven will be shaken. 



Had Cestius persisted, he would have taken the city, and have 
wreaked his vengeance indiscriminately on all the inhabitants. 

(v. 27.) So will the presence of the son of man be. Mani- 
festly then by his presence is meant the execution of his judg- 
ments on the Jews. 

{v. 28.) Wheresoever the carcass, &c. That is, as birds of prey 
congregate about a dead body to devour it, so will the invaders 
round Jerusalem to destroy it. A hint is even given of the 
invading nation, for the standards of the Roman legions were eagles. 

(v. 29.) And immediately. By many expositors this verse has 
been explained of the last day ; and it must be confessed that, if 
the words are understood literally, the passage will admit of no 
other interpretation. It should, however, be remembered, that 
whenever the Hebrew prophets foretell the calamities of nations, 
they invariably employ similar expressions. On such occasions, 
they always borrow their images from the occurrences which will 
mark the last day. In their language, the ruin of a people is the 
ruin of the world ; the end of a nation's greatness is the extinction 
of the sun, and moon, and the whole host of heaven. Thus Isaias 
foretells that at the destruction of Babylon, the stars of heaven 
and the constellations thereof shall not give their light, that the 
sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not 
cause her light to shine, (xiii. 10) When the country of Idumea 
is to be laid desolate, he foretels that all the host of heaven shall 
be destroyed, and the heavens be rolled together as a scroll, and 
all their host fall down as a leaf falleth from the vine, (xxxiv. 4) 
Of the fall of Egypt, Ezechiel says, when I shall put thee out, I 
will cover the heaven, and will make the stars thereof dark ; I will 
cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. 
(xxxii. 7) Could the hearers of our Lord, accustomed as they 



112 MATTHEW. 

30. And then it is that the sign of the son of man will 
be visible in the heaven, and all the tribes of the land 
will moan, and will see the son of man coming upon the 
clouds of heaven, in great might and glory. 



had been to these and similar descriptions, expect that their mas- 
ter would use language less bold and less figurative, when he pre- 
dicted the utter ruin, not of a pagan city or Gentile tribe, but of 
the nation which had been God's favourite people, and of a city 
which had been the city of the most high ? What less could he 
do than describe the sun and the moon as withdrawing their light 
at such a spectacle, and the heavenly bodies as trembling with 
affright ? 

The commentators who have seen in these words of our Saviour 
a description of the last day, might with equal reason discover the 
same in the passages of the prophets which I have cited : but our 
blessed Lord himself has warned us not to make any such mistake 
by assuring us that this catastrophe would follow immediately after 
the evils which he had previously announced, and that the whole 
prophecy would be fulfilled before the death of many ivho were then 
alive, (v. 34). How then can we, now that almost eighteen centu- 
ries have intervened, look for it as yet to come ? 

[v. 30.) The sign of the son of man. The apostles had asked 
for the sign of his presence ; and he had already told them in very 
intelligible terms, that the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman legions 
would be a sign of it as manifest to their minds as is the lightning 
to the eye. See v. 27, 28. He now reverts to the same subject. 
He was accustomed to speak to them of his coming in his kingdom, 
of his coming on the clouds of heaven, of his coming in might and 
glory ; he promised that some of them should live to witness 
this coming; he declared that some of his judges in the Sanhedrin 
should see it. (Matt. xxiv. 64j When was this accomplished, 
if not at the final ruin of the city and of the nation ? That 
ruin he here tells us would be his sign, the proof that what was 
meant by such expressions* had been fulfilled. Nor let the reader 
be surprised at the language. David tells us that when he was in 
distress he called upon the Lord and the Lord heard him ; that 
the earth trembled, and the Lord bowed the heavens and came 
down, riding on a cherub, and flying on the wings of the wind. 
(2 Kings; Sam. xxii. 8-1 2) And yet we know from the same 
authority, that this magnificent description meant nothing more 
than that the Lord had delivered him from the vengeance of Saul. 
Ibid. v. i. 



MATTHEW. 113 

31. And he will send out his messengers with a trum- 
pet of mighty voice, and they will gather into one all his 
chosen ones from the four winds, from one extremity of 
the heavens to the other. 

32. Now learn ye a parable from the fig-tree. When 
its shoots are tender, and put forth leaves, ye know that 
the summer is nigh. 

33. So ye also, when ye see all these things, know that 
(the end) is nigh, even at your doors. 

34. Verily I say to you, this generation shall not have 
passed away, until all these things be done. 

35. The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my 
words will not pass away. 

36. But of that day and hour no one knoweth, not even 
the angels in heaven, but my father only. 

37. And as were the days of Noah, so also will be the 
presence of the son of man. 

38. For, as in the days before the flood, they were 
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, 
unto the day when Noah entered the ark ; 

39. And were not aware until the flood came, and 
swept them all away : so also will the presence of the 
son of man be. 



{v. 31.) Then will be the substitution of the Gentiles for the 
Jews. The preachers of the Gospel will go forth, and gather 
the chosen ones into the Church. 

[v. 36.) But my father only. He had communicated to them 
the signs by which it might be known that the catastrophe was at 
hand, but not the precise time when it would happen. That was 
a secret which the father had not imparted even to the son. Mark 
xiii. 32. This must be understood of the son as to his human 
nature. In quality of man, his knowledge daring his mortal life 
was limited, like his power, to the object of his mission. He had 
not then the power of granting the petition of the sons of Zebedee, 
but after his resurrection he possessed all power in heaven and on 
earth. He had not now the knowledge of the day or hour ; after 
his resurrection undoubtedly he possessed it. 

I 



114 MATTHEW. 

40. Then of two, that shall he in the field, one will he 
taken and the other he let go. 

41. And of two women grinding in the mill, one will 
he taken, and the other be let go. 

42. Watch ye therefore, for ye know not at what hour 
your Lord cometh. 

43. This, however, ye know, that if the master of the 
house were aware in what watch the thief would come, he 
would surely watch, and not suffer his house to be broken. 

44. Wherefore be ye also ready, for the son of man 
cometh at an hour when ye expect him not." 

45. " Who then is the faithful and discreet bondman, 
whom his lord hath appointed over his household to give 
them their allowance in season. 

46. Happy that bondman, whom his lord, at his arrival, 
shall find so employed. 

47. Verily I say to you, he will appoint him over all 
his property. 

48. But should that bondman, being an evil man, say 
in his heart, e my lord tarrieth to come,' 

49. And should he begin to beat his fellow bondmen, 
and to eat and drink with drunkards, 

50. The lord of that slave will come on a day when he 
expecteth him not, and at an hour of which he is not 
aware ; 

51. And will scourge him in twain, and give him his 
portion with the deceitful ; there shall be the weeping 
and the gnashing of teeth." 

{v. 45.) The dispensator or steward gave out to all the bondmen 
in the family their allowance of cibaria, vinum, et pulmentarium, 
once every month. (Cato de Re Rust. v. 06.) He was, how- 
ever, a bondman or slave, as well as his fellows. To call him or 
them servants, is to give a false notion of their condition to the reader. 

[v. 51 .) Scourge him in twain — ^oro/j >/<7a — dividct. It means 
scourge severely, which was the usual punishment of slaves. 



MATTHEW. 115 



CHAPTER XXV. 

THE TEN VIKGINS, TEN TALENTS, AND LAST 
JUDGMENT. 

1. " Then will the kingdom of heaven be like unto ten 
virgins who took their lamps, and went out to the meeting 
of the bridegroom with the bride. 

2. Now five of them were careful, and five were careless. 

3. The five that were careless, took their lamps, but 
did not take oil with them. 

4. But the careful took oil in their vessels together 
with their lamps. 

5. As the bridegroom tarried, they all became drowsy, 
and fell asleep. 

6. But at midnight there was a cry, ' Behold the bride- 
groom is coming, go ye out to meet him.' 

7. Then all those virgins rose, and trimmed their lamps. 

8. And the careless said to the careful : ' Give us of 
your oil, for our lamps are going out.' 

9. But the careful answered : * Lest perhaps there 
should not be enough for ourselves and you, go ye rather 
to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.' 

10. And, while they were on the way to buy, the 
bridegroom came : and they that were ready, entered 
with him to the wedding, and the gate was shut. 

11. Afterwards the other virgins also came, saying, 
1 Sir, Sir, open unto us.' 

12. But he replied : ' Verily I say to you, I know you 
not.' 

(v. 1.) Meeting. The virgins accompanied the bride, when 
she received the bridegroom ; so that they did not go out to meet 
the bride, but to be present at her meeting with the bridegroom. 
In the present Greek, and some ancient versions, the words with 
the bride are wanting. 

I 2 



116 MATTHEW. 

13. Watch ye, therefore, for ye know not the day nor 
the hour." 



14. " For (the son of man) will be as a man travelling 
into a far country, who called the bondmen of his choice, 
and delivered to them his goods. 

15. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, 
and to a third one, to each according to his respective 
ability ; and immediately he went his way. 

16. Then he, who had received five talents, went and 
traded with the same, and gained other five. 

17. In like manner he that received two, gained other 
two. 

18. But he that had received one, went, and digged in 
the ground, and hid the money of his lord. 

19. A long time afterwards the lord of those bondmen 
returned, and held a reckoning with them. 

20. And he that had received five talents, came and 



(v. 13.) The inference to be drawn from this parable is here 
given by our Saviour, and was, in my opinion, meant to be 
applied to all without exception. In the corresponding passage in 
St. Mark's abridgment, we have, what I say to you, I say to all, 
watch. Mark xiii. 37. 

(v. 14.) The son of man. These words are not part of the 
text. But the introduction to the parable has been lost, and some- 
thing of the kind is necessary for the sense. In the Greek, after 
the last verse, is added, when the son of man comet h, with the 
help of which some have endeavoured to construe the succeeding 
verse, as if nothing were wanting. To me it seems probable that 
neither this nor the following parable was delivered on this occa- 
sion, but that both were inserted here, immediately before the 
history of our Saviour's death, that they might not be lost. 

(Ibid.) The bondmen of his choice — ISlhq covX&q — servos suos. 
I conceive the word idlug to denote some peculiar or personal rela- 
tion between these bondmen and their lord. They were the bond- 
men living in the house with him, or those whom he had placed in 
offices of trust — probably the latter. I have therefore ventured to 
render it, the bondmen of his choice. 



MATTHEW. 117 

offered other five, saying ' Lord, thou didst entrust to me 
Hve talents, behold I have gained in addition to them, 
other five.' 

21. His lord said to him : ' Well done, thou good and 
faithful bondman, because thou hast been faithful in little 
matters, I will set thee over greater : enter thou into the 
joy of thy lord.' 

22. And he that had received two talents also came, and 
said : ' Lord, thou didst entrust to me two talents, behold 
I have gained other two.' 

23. His lord said to him, ' Well done, thou good and 
faithful bondman, because thou hast been faithful in 
little matters, I will set thee over greater : enter thou 
into the joy of thy lord.' 

24. But he that had received one talent also came, and 
said, ' Lord, I know that thou art a hard man ; who 
reapest where thou hast not sown, and gatherest where 
thou hast not scattered. 

25. And through fear I went and hid thy talent in the 
ground ; here it is : thou hast thine own.' 

26. But his lord said to him in reply : ' Thou bad and 
slothful bondman, didst thou know that I reap where I 
have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered ? 

27. Thou oughtest then to have put out my money to 
the bankers : and I, at my return, should have received 
mine own with the interest. 

28. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it to 
him who hath the ten talents. 

29. For to him, who hath, shall be given, and he shall 



{v. 29.) This parable is prophetic, inasmuch as it foretold the 
transfer of the kingdom from the Jews to the Gentiles, on account 
of the negligence of the former ; and admonitory, inasmuch as it 
threatens individual Christians with similar punishment for the 
like delinquency. 



118 MATTHEW. 

abound : but from him, who hath not, even that which 
he seemeth to have, shall be taken away. 

30. And cast ye the unprofitable bondman into the 
darkness without ; there shall be the weeping and the 
gnashing of teeth.' " 

31. " But when the son of man shall come in his ma- 
jesty, and all his angels with him, then will he sit on the 
seat of his majesty. 

32. And all the nations will be gathered together in 
his presence, and he will separate them one from another, 
as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats. 

33. And the sheep he will place on his right hand, the 
goats on his left. 

34. Then will the king say to them on his right, 
6 Come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom 
prepared for you, from the origin of the world. 

35. For I was hungry, and ye gave me to eat ; I was 
thirsty, and ye gave me to drink ; I was a stranger, and 
ye gave me lodging; 

36. Naked, and ye covered me ; sick, and ye looked in 
upon me ; in prison, and ye visited me.' — Is. lviii. 7. 
Ezek. xviii. 7. 

37. And then the righteous will answer and say; 
* Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and did feed thee ; 
thirsty and did give thee drink? 

38. Or when did we see thee a stranger, and did lodge 
thee ; or naked and did cover thee ! 



(v. 30.) A parable very like to this, yet differing in some par- 
ticulars, will be found in Luke xix. 12. There can be no doubt 
that our blessed Lord, in the course of his ministry, repeatedly 
delivered the same parable, but often with variations suggested by 
circumstances. 



MATTHEW. 119 

39. Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and did 
visit thee V 

40. And the king will answer and say to them, ' Verily 
I say to you, whenever ye have done it to any the least 
of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.' 

41. Then will he say to them on his left ; ' Depart from 
me, ye cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the 
devil and his angels. 

42. For I was hungry, and ye gave me not to eat ; I 
was thirsty, and ye gave me not to drink : 

43. I was a stranger, and ye lodged me not ; naked, 
and ye covered me not ; sick, and in prison, and ye visited 
me not.' 

44. Then they will also answer and say ; c When did 
we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or 
in prison, without ministering to thee ?' 

45. Then will he answer them and say ; ' Verily I say 
to you, whenever ye did it not to any of these little ones, 
neither did ye it to me.' 

46. And they shall go, these into everlasting punish- 
ment, but the righteous into life everlasting." 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE LAST SUPPER AND THE APPREHENSION OF CHRIST. 

1. Now it came to pass that, when Jesus had concluded 
these discourses, he said to his disciples, 



(v. 46.) Hence it follows that works of charity, on proper occa- 
sions, are necessary for salvation ; but not that they alone are 
sufficient. Why then are they alone mentioned ? I answer, that 
we know not. Had we, besides the parable itself, an account of 
what immediately preceded, and immediately followed it, we might 
be able to solve the difficulty. But having not these particulars, 



120 MATTHEW. 

2. "Ye know, that after two clays cometb the feast of 
the passover, when the son of man will be delivered up 
to be crucified." 

3. At that time the high priests and the elders of the 
people were assembled in the court of the high priest, 
who was called Caiaphas, 

4. And they consulted by what device they might get 
Jesus into their power ; and put him to death. 

5. They said however, " Not during the festival, lest 
there should be a riot among the people." 

6. Now, when Jesus was in Bethania in the house of 
Simon the leper, 

7. There came to him a woman having a vial of precious 
balsam, which she poured on his head, as he lay at 
table. 

8. But the disciples, when they saw her, were sorely 
provoked, saying, " What use is there in this waste ? 

9. This balsam might have been sold at a high price, 
and given to the poor." 

10. But Jesus knowing it, said to them, " Why are ye 
troublesome to the woman ? For she hath done me 
good service. 

11. Ye have the poor with you always: but me ye 
have not always. 



we can only confess our ignorance, and believe that the parable 
was perfectly adapted to the object which our Lord, in those cir- 
cumstances, had in view. 

[v. 7.) A vial — aXaflaa-pov. This word appears to apply to 
vessels used for the purpose of holding balsam, of whatever mate- 
rials they were made. See Parkhurst in Voce. I have rendered 
it vial, because they were generally made, according to Pliny, in 
the shape of pears. 



MATTHEW. 1*21 

12. For by pouring this balsam on my body, she hath 
prepared me for my burial. 

13. Verily I say to you, wheresoever these good tidings 
shall be preached in the whole world, there also, what 
she hath done, will be told in memory of her.' 1 

14. At that time one of the twelve, he that was called 
Judas the Iscariot, went to the chief priests, 

15. And said, " What are ye willing to give me, that I 
may deliver him to you ?" And they weighed him out 
thirty shekels. 

16. And thenceforth he sought an opportunity of deli- 
vering him up. 

17. Now on the first day of unleavened bread, the dis- 
ciples accosted Jesus, saying, " Where wilt thou that we 
prepare for thee to eat the passover?" 

18. But he said : " Go into the city to such a one, and 
say to him ; the master sayeth, my hour is nigh : at thy 
house do I make my passover in company with my 
disciples. 

19. And the disciples did as Jesus ordered, and made 
ready the passover. 

20. And in the evening he lay down at table with the 
twelve. 

21. And, while they were eating, he said to them ; 
" Verily I say unto you, that one of you will betray me." 

22. And being sorely grieved, they began, each of them, 
to say to him, " Lord, is it I ?" 



(v. 12.) Prepared, &c— 7rp6g rb kvTatyiaaai — ad sepeliendum. 
From the Septuagint translation of Gen. 1. 2, it appears that 
EvrcKpiaZo) means to embalm, to prepare the body by embalming. 

[v. 15.) Thirty shekels. About £3. 15s. 



122 MATTHEW. 

23. But he answered : " The man that dippeth his 
hand into the dish with me, the same is he that will 
betray me. 

24. The son of man indeed goeth, as hath been written 
concerning him ; but wo to that man by whom the son 
of man is betrayed. Well were it for that man, if he had 
never been born. 

25. But Judas, he who betrayed him, answered, " Am 
I the man, Rabbi?" He sayeth to him, "Thou art the 
man." 

26. And, while they were eating, Jesus, took the bread, 
and blessed it, brake it and gave it to the disciples, and 
said, " Take, eat : this is my body. 

27. Then taking the cup, and giving thanks, he gave 
it to them saying, " Drink ye all of it. 

28. For this is my blood, the (blood) of the new 
covenant, the (blood) shed in favour of many for the 
remission of sins. 

29. But I say to you that henceforth I shall not drink 
of this produce of the vine, till that day when I drink it 
new with you in the kingdom of my father." 



{v. 28.) Covenant — ^tadrjKrjQ, It has been disputed whether 
this word should be rendered, dispensation, covenant, or testament. 
But it is a question of no moment. Whatever word be preferred, 
that word will mean the same thing ; the Mosaic dispensation, 
when the epithet old is prefixed ; the Christian, when the epithet 
new is substituted. The allusion here is to Exod. xxiv. 8, where 
Moses, having read the law to the people, and received from them 
a promise to observe it, " took the blood, (of the victims) and 
sprinkled the people, and said, behold the blood of the covenant 
which the Lord hath made with you." 

(v. 29.) / will not drink, &c. In the parallel passage in St. 
Luke, (xxii. 18) we are told that these words were spoken by our 
Saviour not after, but before the institution of the cucharist. But, 
whenever they were spoken, they were plainly meant for a pre- 
diction of his approaching death. " I will never more feast in 
company with you, till I feast with you in my father's kingdom." 



MATTHEW. 123 

30. Now, after a hymn, they went to the mount of 
Olives. 

31. Then Jesus sayeth to them, '* All of you will find 
me a stumbling-block to you this night : for it is written, 
i~ will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be 
scattered. — Zach. xiii. 7. 

32. But after my rising again, I will go before you into 
Galilee." 

33. Then Peter made answer to him: "Though all 
should find thee a stumbling-block, thou shalt never be a 
stumbling-block to me." 

34. Jesus said to him : " Verily I say to thee, that this 
very night before the cock crow, thou wilt disown me 
thrice." 

35. Peter sayeth to him : " Even if I have to die with 
thee, yet will I never disown thee." In like manner 
spake all the disciples. 

36. Then Jesus cometh with them into the place called 
Gethsemane ; and sayeth to them : " Stay ye here, while 
I go and pray yonder." 

37. And taking with him Peter and the two sons of 
Zebedee, he became sorrowful and in sore distress. 

38. Then he sayeth to them : " My soul is anguished, 
even unto death : remain here and keep watch with me." 

39. And going a little forward, he fell on his face, 
praying and saying, " O my father, if it be possible, let 
this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will, but 
as thou." 

40. Then he cometh to his disciples, and findeth them 



{v. 37.) In sore distress — ciSrjfioveiv — which, according to Sui- 
das, is cnropeiv ml a\ir\yav{~iv, to be at a loss, to know not what 
to do. 

(v. 38.) Anguished — TrepiXviroG. 



124 MATTHEW. 

asleep : and he sayeth to Peter; " So, could ye not watch 
with me during one hour ? 

41. Watch, and pray, that ye yield not to temptation. 
The spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak." 

42. Again he went, and prayed a second time, saying : 
" O my father, if this cup may not pass away from me, 
but I must drink it, thy will be done." 

43. And on his return he found them again asleep : for 
their eyes were overpowered. 

44. And leaving them, he went again, and prayed a 
third time, repeating the same prayer. 

45. Then he cometh to his disciples, and sayeth to 
them : " Sleep on now, and take your rest. Behold, the 
hour draweth near ; and the son of man is betrayed into 
the hands of sinners. 

46. Arise, let us go. Lo, the traitor is at hand." 

47. And, while he was yet speaking, behold, Judas, 
one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude, 
with swords and clubs, from the high priests and elders 
of the people. 

48. But he, who betrayed him, had given them a sign, 
saying, " Whomsoever I shall kiss, he is the man ; lay 
hold of him." 

49. And forthwith accosting Jesus, he said, " Hail, 
Rabbi," and kissed him. 

50. And Jesus said to him, " Friend, for what art thou 
come hither?" Then coming forward, they laid their 
hands on Jesus, and held him fast. 

51. And behold, one of those with Jesus, stretching 
out his hand, drew forth his sword, and smiting a bond- 
man of the high priest, cut off his ear. 

52. Then Jesus sayeth to him : " Return thy sword 
into its place : for all they, who take up the sword, shall 
perish by the sword. — Gen. ix. (>. 



MATTHEW. 125 

53. Thinkest thou that I cannot at this moment call 
upon my father, who would send to my aid more than 
twelve legions of angels ? 

54. How then could the scriptures be accomplished 
(which say) that such things must be ?" 

55. At that time Jesus said to the multitude : " Have 
ye come out with swords and clubs to take me, as if I 
were a robber ? Day by day I sate among you teaching 
in the temple, and ye did not lay hold of me. 

56. But all this hath happened, for the fulfilment of 
the writings of the prophets." Then all the disciples left 
him, and fled away. 

57. But they, who had laid hold of Jesus, led him to 
Caiaphas, the high priest, at whose house the scribes and 
elders were assembled. 

58. But Peter followed him at a distance, as far as the 
court of the high priest : and, going in, he sate down 
with the officers, to see the end. 

59. But the high priests and the elders, and the whole 
sanhedrin sought out false testimony against Jesus, that 
they might put him to death. 

60. Yet, though many false witnesses came forward, 



(v. 53.) Twelve legions. A legion consisted, on an average, of 
6000 men. The allusion was suggested by the presence of the 
soldiers, part of the cohort on guard at the temple. 

{v. 57.) Caiaphas. Tiberius become sole emperor A. D. 14. 
He appointed Gratus procurator, who removed the high priest 
Auanus or Annas, and appointed and removed three others in 
succession. At last he gave the dignity to Caiaphas, who retained 
it, either as principal or deputy, during the remainder of the 
government of Gratus, and the whole of that of his successor 
Pilate. On the removal of Pilate by Vitellius, president of Syria, 
Caiaphas was also removed, and succeeded by Jonathan, the son 
of Annas or Ananus. Jos. Ant. xviii. 2, 4. 



1-26 MATTHEW. 

they found none : at last two false witnesses came, and 
deposed : 

61. " This man said, I am able to demolish the sanc- 
tuary of God, and to rebuild it in three days." 

62. And the high priest rising up, said to him, " Dost 
thou make no answer to what these men depose against 
thee ?" 

63. But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest took 
occasion to say to him, " I adjure thee by the living God 
to tell us, if thou art the Messiah, the son of God." 

64. Jesus sayeth to him : " I am : moreover t say to 
you, that hereafter ye shall see the son of man sitting on 
the right hand of the Almighty, and coming on the clouds 
of heaven." 

65. Then the high priest, rending his garment, said : 
" He hath uttered blasphemy : what further need have 
we of witnesses ? Lo, now ye have heard his blasphemy, 

66. What is your opinion ?" But they answered ; " He 
ought to suffer death." 

67. Then they spat in his face, and buffetted him. But 
others slapped him on the face, 

68. Saying, " Reveal to us, Messiah, who it is that 
smite th thee." — Is. 1. 6. 

69. Now Peter was sitting without in the court, and a 



(v. 64.) / am — av enrag—tu dixisti. This expression, wher- 
ever it is used, is an admission or affirmation : whence, as the 
English version, thou hast said it, has no such signification, I 
shall render it, J am, as St. Mark has done in the corresponding 
passage, Mark xiv. 62. 

(Ibid.) Of the Almighty— tvq Ivva^e^q. Both here and in 
St. Mark, (xiv. 62) the Latin adds Dei, a dextris virtutis Dei. 

(v. 65.) Rending his garment. This was a mark of anguish of 
mind at something said or done. See 1 Machab. xi. 71 ; Jos. de 
Bella, ii. 15. 



MATTHEW. 127 

maiden came to him, and said : " Thou also wast with 
Jesus the Galilean. 

70. But he denied it in the presence of all, saying, " I 
know not what thou meanest." 

71. And, as he went out into the porch, another maiden 
saw him, and said to those present, " This man also was 
with Jesus, the Nazarite." 

72. Again he denied it, and sware, " I know not the 
man." 

73. A little later the standers by advanced, and said to 
Peter : " Assuredly thou art one of them : for thy speech 
discovereth thee." 

74. Then he began to affirm with execrations and 
oaths, " I know not the man." And instantly the cock 
crowed. 

75. And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, who had 
said, " Before the cock crow, thou wilt disown me thrice." 
And going out, he wept bitterly. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

THE DEATH AND BURIAL OF JESUS. 

1. Now, when morning was come, all the high priests 
and the elders of the people consulted against Jesus to 
procure his death. 

2. And having bound him, they led and delivered him 
to Pontius Pilate, the governor. 

3. Then Judas who had delivered him up, seeing that he 
was condemned, was troubled in mind, and brought back 
the thirty pieces of silver to the high priests and elders. 

(v. 2.) Pontius Pilate. See Mark xv. 1. 

(v. 3.) Troubled in mind — nera/LisXijOeiQ, The proper mean- 



128 MATTHEW. 

4. Saying ; " I have done wrong in delivering up 
innocent blood." But they said, " What is that to us ? 
Look thou to it." 

5. Then, throwing down the pieces of silver in the sanc- 
tuary, he departed ; and going away he strangled himself. 

6. But the chief priests, having taken up the silver, 
said, " It is not lawful to put them into the Corbonas, for 
they are the price of blood." 

7. And after consultation, they bought with them 
the potter's field, to be a burying-place for strangers. 

8. On which account that field has been called (Hacel- 
dama, that is) the field of blood, to the present day. 

9. Then was accomplished what had been spoken by 
the prophet Jeremias, when he said, and they took the 
thirty pieces of silver, the price of the appraised one, whom 
they appraised of the children of Israel, 

ing of this word is, to be troubled in mind, or to repent of something 
which has been done. I have not, however, adopted the word 
repent, because the trouble of Judas was not a profitable repen- 
tance. 

(v. 6.) The corbonas was, according to Josephus, the treasury 
of the temple, which received only what was consecrated to some 
holy purpose. De Bel. ix. 

(v. 8.) Haceldama. The words within brackets are not in the 
Greek text. They may have been lost thence, or have been intro- 
duced into the Latin from Acts i. 19. 

(v. 9.) The prophet Jeremias. No prophecy of this kind is to 
be found in the book of Jeremias. Many explanations have been 
offered : the most probable is, that the evangelist here, as in other 
places, did not name the prophet, and that Jeremias was subse- 
quently introduced by one of the copyists. 

(Ibid.) They took the thirty pieces. This passage refers to the 
book of Zachary, where it stands thus : And the Lord said unto 
me, cast it to the potter, the price of the appraised one, at which 
I have been appraised by them. And I took the thirty pieces of 
silver, and cast them to the potter, in the house of the Lord. 
From the comparison with the text of the evangelist, it appears 
that the latter is not a quotation, but an explanatory paraphrase 



MATTHEW. 129 

10. And gave them for the potter's field, as the IjOrdhad 
commanded me. — Zach. xi. 12, 13. 

11. Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the 
governor questioned him, in these words : " Art thou the 
king of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, " I am." 

12. But, when he was accused by the chief priests and 
elders, he made no answer. 

13. Then Pilate sayeth to him, " Dost thou not hear of 
what great things they accuse thee ?" 

14. Yet he returned no answer to a single word ; so 
that the governor wondered exceedingly. 

15. But during the festival the governor was wont to 
discharge one of the prisoners, whomsoever the people 
would. 

16. Now he had a prisoner, a notorious man, who was 
called Barabbas. 

17. When therefore they were assembled, he said to 
them, " Whom will ye that I discharge to you, Barabbas, 
or Jesus, who is called Messiah ?" 

of the prophecy, to shew more clearly its application. For this 
purpose, he transposes took the thirty pieces of silver, substitutes 
" the children of Israel" instead of them, changes i" threw them 
to the potter into " gave them for the potter's field," and concludes 
with " as the Lord had commanded me," as the prophet began 
with the Lord said unto me. 

Still, it may be asked, why does the evangelist use the verbs in 
the third person plural, whereas the prophet has them in the first 
person singular ? Perhaps because, in the application, the trans- 
action is ascribed to the high priests and elders. But it is also 
possible that eSuKav is a mistake of some copyist for edioKa, in 
which case the two verbs will be in the first person singular, both 
in the evangelist and in the prophet. 

(v. 17.) Barabbas. That is, the son of Abbas. According to 
Origen, the true reading in this place is, Jesus, the son of Abbas, 
or Jesus, who is called Messiah. It has been found so in some 
old versions and Greek MSS. Supposing this to be the true 
reading, we may see why, both here and in v. 22, Pilate adds 

K 



130 MATTHEW. 

18. For he knew, that it was through envy they had 
delivered him up : 

19. And while he was sitting on the judgment-seat, 
his wife had sent to him, saying, " Have nothing to do 
with that innocent man ; for I have suffered much in a 
dream on account of him to day. 

20. But the high priests and elders persuaded the peo- 
ple to ask for Barabbas, and procure the death of Jesus. 

21. The governor, however, took occasion to ask, 
" Which of the two will ye that I discharge ?" And they 
said, " Barabbas." 

22. Pilate sayeth to them, " What then shall I do with 
Jesus, who is called Messiah ?" 

23. They all say, " Let him be crucified." The gover- 
nor asked : " But what evil hath he done ?" Yet they 
cried out the more violently, " Let him be crucified." 

24. Then Pilate seeing that he did no good, but that on 
the contrary, they were growing riotous, took water, and 
washed his hands in presence of the people, saying, 
" I am guiltless of the blood of this innocent man. Look 
ye to it." 

after the name of our Saviour, who is called Messiah. The addi- 
tion was necessary, in order to distinguish persons who had other- 
wise the same name. 

{v. 23.) From this conversation between Pilate and the Jews, 
it has been inferred that Greek had become the usual language of 
the people. But similar conversations must have taken place in 
every province where there was a Roman governor. Had the 
natives of all these provinces adopted the Greek language, or was 
it not the custom for the governor, on such occasions, to employ 
an interpreter ? 

(v. 24.) Washed his hands, &c. This was a ceremony in 
token of innocence, prescribed by the law of Moses, (Deut. xxi. 
6, 7) and probably adopted on this occasion by Pilate, with the 
hope of making impression on the Jews. The washing of the 
hands was, indeed, a custom in other nations ; but as a purifica- 
tion from blood, not a proof of innocence. In all such instances 
with which I am acquainted, blood had been shed previously. 



MATTHEW. 131 

25. And the whole multitude answered, u Be his blood 
upon us and upon our children." 

26. Then he discharged Barabbas to them, but Jesus, 
he delivered up to be scourged and crucified. 

27. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into 
the hall, and assembled the whole company about him. 

28. And stripping him, clothed him with a scarlet cloak, 

29. And platting a crown of thorns, placed it on his 
head, and a wand in his right hand, and bending the 
knee before him, they mocked him, saying, " Hail, thou 
king of the Jews." 

30. And spitting on him, they took the wand, and 
smote him on the head. 

31. And after they had mocked him, they took off the 
cloak, and put on him his own garments, and led him 
out to crucify him. 

32. And as they went forth, they met a certain Cyre- 
nean by name Simon, and this man they seized upon, 
that he might carry his cross. 

33. And when they came to the place called Golgotha, 
that is the place of skulls, 

34. They offered him wine mixed with bitters to drink. 
And when he had tasted it, he refused to drink. 

35. Now, when they had fixed him to the cross, they 
divided his garments, and cast lots, so as to accomplish 

(v. 26.) It was the Roman custom to scourge before crucifixion. 
See in Josephus (de Bello, ii. 14J two instances, in one of which 
Jews, though Roman citizens, and of the equestrian order, were 
treated in this manner. 

(v. 27.) Company. The cohort contained three a7relpai. Polyb. 
xi. 641. 

(v. 32.) Seized upon — r\yyapzvaav — angaria verunt. This word 
properly means, to press or seize upon men or horses for the public 
service. 

K2 



132 MATTHEW. 

what had been spoken by the prophet, who said ; they 
parted my garments among them, and for my vesture they 
cast lots. — Ps. xxi. 19. 

36. And they sat down, and watched him. 

37. And they placed above his head the cause of his 
condemnation in writing-, " this is jesus, king of 
the JEWS." 

38. Then were crucified with him two robbers, one on 
his right hand, and one on his left. 

39. But the people passing by, reviled him, shaking 
their heads, 

40. And saying, " Ah, thou destroyer of the sanctuary, 
and rebuilder of it in three days, save thyself. If thou 
art the son of God, come down from the cross." 

41. In like manner the high priests, with the scribes 
and elders, said in mockery, 

42. " Others he saved, cannot he save himself? If he 
is the king of Israel, let him come down now from the 
cross, and we will believe in him. 

43. He put his trust in God : let God deliver him, if 
he be pleased with him : for he said, ' I am the son of 
God.' "— Ps. xxi. 9 ; Wis. ii. 16. 

44. And the robbers, that were crucified with him, up- 
braided him in like manner. 

45. Now from the sixth to the ninth hour there was 
darkness over the whole land. 

46. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a 
loud voice, " Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani," that is, my God, 
my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? — Ps. xxi. 1. 



(v. 45.) From the sixth to the ninth hour. From twelve to 
three. 



MATTHEW. 133 

47. But some of those who stood by, and heard him, 
said, " He calleth Elias." 

48. And immediately one of them running-, took a 
sponge, soaked it with vinegar, and putting it on a 
wand, gave it to him for drink. 

49. But the others said : " Hold, let us see whether 
Elias will come to free him." 

50. But Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and 
gave up the ghost. 

51. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was rent in 
twain from the top to the bottom, and the earth quaked, 
and the rocks were split. 

52. And the tombs burst open, and the bodies of many 
holy ones who slept, arose, 

53. And leaving their tombs after his resurrection, they 
came into the holy city, and were seen of many. 

54. Now the centurion and his men, who guarded 
Jesus, observing the earthquake and the things which 
happened, were sorely afraid, and said, " Verily this man 
was son of God." 

55. There were also there several women looking on 
from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, minis- 
tering to him, 



(v. 50.) Cried out with a loud voice. This was not an inar- 
ticulate cry, but the prayer, Father, into thy hands I commend 
my spirit ; uttered, not with the faint voice of a man expiring of 
exhaustion on the cross, but with the loud voice of one still in pos- 
session of his bodily strength : a voice immediately followed by the 
death of our Saviour, to shew that his life was not taken from him, 
but with his consent ; and that he parted with it at a moment 
when, according to the ordinary course of things, he was in a con- 
dition of retaining it much longer, as did those who were executed 
with him. There was something so extraordinary in this voice, 
at that particular moment, that the centurion noticed it, and 
exclaimed, of a truth this man was son of God. Mark xv. 39. 
And that he expired so soon, was a subject of surprise, both to 
Pilate and the soldiers. Mark xv. 44 ; John xix. 33. 



134 MATTHEW. 

56. Among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary 
the Mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the 
sons of Zebedee. 

57. Now as it was growing late, there came a rich 
man of Arimathea, Joseph by name, who was also a dis- 
ciple of Jesus ; 

58. Who went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. 
Then Pilate ordered the body to be delivered up. 

59. And Joseph taking the body, wrapped it in clean 
linen. 

60. And laid it in his own new sepulchre, which he 
had hewn in the rock ; and rolling a huge stone against 
the entrance of the sepulchre, he went away. 

61. But Mary Magdalene was there, and the other 
Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. 

62. Now on the morrow, after the ' preparatory day,' 
the high priests and pharisees went in a body to Pilate, 
and said, 

(v. 56, 61.) The evangelist seems to mention the names of 
these women as eye-witnesses, from whose narrative these parti- 
culars were collected, or as vouchers for the truth of his statement. 

(v. 57.) When it grew late — 6\piag yevonevrjg — cum sero factum 
esset. It is plain that these words mean no more than that it was 
late in the afternoon. For after this, and yet before sunset, the 
body was taken down, prepared for burial, and deposited in the 
sepulchre. 

{v. 62.) On the morrow. By this expression we are not to 
understand the next morning, for in that case the disciples would 
have had a night in which they might have stolen away the body ; 
but the evening of what we should call the same day. For the 
Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset, and therefore appear 
to have applied to Pilate as soon as they heard of the body being 
given for burial to Joseph. The " preparatory day," or, as St. 
Mark explains it, " the day before the passover," (xv. 42) expired 
at sunset. Jesus was buried before sunset, and the Jews secured 
the sepulchre about the commencement of the sabbath, after 
sunset. 



MATTHEW. 135 

63. " Sir, we recollect that that impostor said during 
his life, in three days I will rise again. 

64. Order therefore the sepulchre to be made secure 
till the third day, lest his disciples should come in the 
night, and having stolen the body away, should tell the 
people, ' he is risen from the dead ;' and this last decep- 
tion will be worse than the first. 

65. But Pilate said to them, " Ye have a guard of 
soldiers ; go, secure it, as ye judge best." 

66. They therefore went, put a seal on the stone, and 
secured the sepulchre with the guard. 



CHAPTER XXVIII. 

THE RESURRECTION. 

1. Now late after the sabbath, about the hour of dawn, 
on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene, and the 
other Mary, went to look at the sepulchre. 

2. And behold there was a great earthquake. For an 
angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and approach- 
ing, rolled away the stone from the entrance, and seated 
himself upon it. 



(v. 65.) A guard of soldiers. I have translated khotMcl thus, 
because, being a Latin word, it shews that the men on guard were 
Roman soldiers. But who were they ? Undoubtedly the cohort 
that always kept guard over the cloisters of the temple during the 
great festivals. See Josephus de Bel. ii. 12 ; Ant. xv. 11, xviii. 4. 

(v. 1.) About the hour of dawn — rjj kniywoKovari — quee luces- 
cit. From Luke xxiii. 34, it is plain that this expression does 
not necessarily mean the dawn of the light, but sometimes the 
beginning of the Jewish day, which was in the evening. Here, 
however, I conceive it must mean the dawn, as it is improbable 
that the women would leave their homes to go to the sepulchre, 
till some time after midnight. 



136 MATTHEW. 

3. Now his face was as lightning, and his garment 
white as snow. 

4. And through fear of him the guards quaked, and 
became as dead men. 

5. But the angel addressing the women, said : " Fear 
not ye. For I know that ye seek Jesus who was crucified. 

6. He is not here. He is risen, as he said. Come, see 
the place where the Lord was laid : 

7. And go quickly, and tell his disciples ; that he is 
risen from the dead: and behold, he goeth before you 
into Galilee. There ye will see him, behold I have told 
you." 

8. And going away quickly, they ran with great fear 
and joy to tell his disciples. 

9. And, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Hail." And 
they approaching, took hold of his feet and worshipped 
him. 

1 0. Then Jesus sayeth to them : " Fear not, go, tell 
my brethren to repair into Galilee, where they shall see 
me." 

11. Now while they were on their way, behold some of 
the guard, going into the city, told the high priests all 
that had happened. 

12. And they, assembling with the elders, and holding 
a consultation, gave a large sum to the soldiers, with 
these words, 

13. " Say, ' his disciples came in the night, and stole 
him away, while we were asleep.' 

14. And if this come to the ears of the governor, we 
will content him, and keep you harmless." 

15. But they, accepting the money, did as they had 
been taught : and this report hath been spread among 
the Jews unto the present day. 



MATTHEW. 137 

16. But the eleven went into Galilee, on to the moun- 
tain, which Jesus had appointed to them. 

17. And seeing him, they worshipped him, some, how- 
ever, wavered. 

18. And Jesus approached, and spake to them, saying; 
" To me hath been given all power in heaven and on 
earth. 

19. Go ye, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, 
baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the son, 
and of the Holy Ghost. 

20. Teaching them to observe all those things which 
I have given in charge to you ; and behold, I am with 
you through all days unto the conclusion of the world." 

{v. 19.) Make disciples of—fxaQr^revaare — docete. The Greek 
word means more than to teach — that is, to make proselytes or 
disciples. 

(v. 20.) The conclusion of the world — ffwriXeta rov aiibvoQ — 
consummatio sseculi. Though these words do not necessarily 
mean the destruction of our globe, as is usually understood by the 
end of the world, yet they mean the conclusion of the present 
state of things under the Christian dispensation, which I know not 
how to express in more intelligible terms. 



THE 

HOLY GOSPEL 



ACCORDING TO 



MARK. 



According to Papias, (apud Eus. iii. 39) who 
derived his information from John the elder, one of 
the disciples of our Saviour, Mark, the interpreter 
of the apostle Peter, and called by him his son, 
(1 Pet. v. IS J wrote this gospel. Irenseus (ad 
Hcer. iii. 1) says that it was after the death of 
Peter : both, that he wrote from memory, but was 
careful to introduce nothing for which he had not 
the authority of the apostle. Whoever will com- 
pare his work with the gospel of St. Matthew, 
will see that he had that gospel, probably in the 
original language, lying before him ; that he 
abridged it in many parts, improved it in others, 
and added to it much new information. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE PREACHING OF JOHN AND THE BAPTISM : 
PREACHING AND MIRACLES OF JESUS. 

1. The beginning of the good tidings of Jesus Messiah, 
son of God. 



{v. 1.) The beginning. This evangelist begins with the pre- 
cursor of our Lord, omitting all that happened before the 
preaching of the baptist. 



140 MARK. 

2. As it is written in the prophets, Behold I send my 
messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before 
thee. —Mai. iii. 1. 

3. The voice of him who crieth in the wilderness, prepare 
ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. — Is. xl. 3. 

4. John came in the wilderness baptizing, and announ- 
cing the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 

5. And the whole country of Judea, and all the inhabi- 
tants of Jerusalem, went forth to him, and were baptized 
by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 

6. And John was clothed with the hair of camels, and 
with a girdle of leather round his waist ; and he fed on 
locusts and wild honey. 

7. And he announced in these words, " He that is more 
mighty than I, cometh after me; the latchet of whose 
shoe I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. 

8. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize 
you with the Holy Ghost." 

9. Now it came to pass, that in those days Jesus came 
from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in 
the Jordan. 

10. And immediately, as he was coming out of the 



[v. 2.) The prophets. In the Latin we read, Isaias the prophet. 
But the reading in the Greek copies is better ; for two prophecies 
are quoted, and the last only is taken from Isaias. 

{v. 5.) The river Jordan. St. Matthew says, in Jordan ; but 
he wrote for the natives of Palestine, who were all well acquainted 
with the Jordan. This evangelist wrote for strangers, and was 
therefore careful to inform them that Jordan is the name of a 
river. But how could he say that the whole country, and all the 
inhabitants, were baptized ? Both in the evangelists and in Jose- 
phus, (de Bello, ii. 29, sec. \) such expressions mean a very great 
number, and not all without exception. 

{v. 10.) Immediately — evdiug. The frequent repetition of this 



MARK. 141 

water, he saw the heavens opened, and the spirit like a 
dove descending,^and remaining upon him. 

11. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, " Thou 
art my son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased." 

12. And immediately the spirit forced him away into 
the wilderness. 

13. And he was there in the wilderness forty days and 
forty nights, and was tempted by Satan, and was among 
wild beasts, and angels ministered to him. 

14. But after John was delivered up, Jesus came into 
Galilee, announcing the good tidings of ' the kingdom of 
God,' 

15. And saying, " The time is accomplished, and ( the 
kingdom of God' is at hand : repent, and believe the 
good tidings." 

16. And, as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw 
Simon, and Artdrew his brother, casting a draw-net into 
the sea: for they were fishermen. 

17. And Jesus said to them, " Follow ye me, and I 
will make you to become fishers of men." 

18. And straightway s they left their nets, and followed 
him. 

adverb, is one of the peculiarities in the style of this evangelist. 
It occurs ten times in the first chapter. The same remark may be 
made of naXiv, again. 

(v. 11.) Thou art. According to St. Matthew, this is. Both 
readings are the same in substance. Neither evangelist was pre- 
sent, and each wrote from the information of others. Perhaps the 
real words were : " My beloved son, in whom I am well pleased ;" 
and the supplementary words were added by the hearers, to point 
out the person of whom they were spoken. 

(v. 15.) What St. Matthew, according to the idiom of the 
country, calls the kingdom of heaven, or rather of the heavens, — 
St. Mark, writing for foreigners, calls, on all occasions, the kingdom 
of God. 



142 MARK. 

19. And going forward a little, he saw James the son 
of Zebedee, and John his brother, both in a bark mend- 
ing their nets. 

20. And immediately he called them : and they leaving 
their father Zebedee in the bark with his hired servants, 
went after him. 

21. And they proceeded to Capharnaum ; and on the 
sabbath he went directly to the synagogue, and taught. 

22. And they were astonished at his manner of teach- 
ing : for he taught them as one having authority, and 
not as the scribes. 

23. Now there was in their synagogue a man possessed 
with an unclean spirit, and he called out thus : 

24. " What hast thou to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth ? 
Art thou come for our destruction ? I know who thou 
art, the holy one of God." 

25. And Jesus charged him strictly, saying, " Hold thy 
peace, and come out of the man ?" 

26. And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convul- 
sions, and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 

27. And all were amazed ; so as to inquire of each 
other, saying, " What meaneth this ? What new manner 
of teaching is this ? For he speaketh with authority to 
the unclean spirits, and they obey him." 

28. And immediately his reputation spread through 
the whole country of Galilee. 

29. And, as soon as they had left the synagogue, they 
entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and 
John. 

30. But Simon's mother-in-law, lay sick of a fever: and 
immediately they tell him of her condition. 

31. And going to her, he took her by the hand, and 



MARK. 143 

raised her up ; and immediately the fever left her ; and 
she ministered to them. 

32. But in the evening, after sunset, they brought to 
him all that were sick, and those that were possessed 
with fiends. 

33. And the whole town was assembled at the door. 

34. And he healed many sick of divers diseases, and 
cast out many fiends, and did not suffer them to speak, 
that they knew him. 

35. And when the night was far spent, rising at a very 
early hour, he went out, and repaired to a solitary place, 
where he prayed. 

36. And Simon with his companions followed him. 
87. And having found him, they said to him, " All are 

seeking thee." 

38. But he said to them, " Let us go into the neigh- 
bouring townships, that I may also announce there. For 
it was for that purpose that I came out." 

39. And he announced in their synagogues throughout 
all Galilee, and cast out the fiends. 

40. And a leper came to him, beseeching him, and 
bending the knee to him, and saying, " If thou wilt, thou 
canst make me clean." 

41. And Jesus, having compassion on him, stretched 
out his hand, and touched him, saying, " I will it ; be 
thou clean." 

42. And the moment in which he spake, the leprosy 
left him, and he was cleansed. 

43. And he (Jesus) charged him strictly, and immedi- 
ately put him out. 

44. And said to him : u Take care thou tell no one ; 
but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for 



144 MARK. 

thy purification what Moses commanded, for a proof to 
them." 

45. But he went away, and began to make it very 
public, and to spread the news, so that he (Jesus) could 
no longer go openly into the town, but stayed without in 
solitary places, where people came to him from all 
quarters. 



CHAPTER II. 

CURE OF THE PARALYTIC, CALL OF LEVI, DEFENCE 
OF THE DISCIPLES. 

1. Now after some days he came again intoCapharnaum. 

2. And it was reported that he was in the house : and 
they crowded there in such numbers, that not even 
the gateway could hold them : and he spake to them the 
word. 

3. And they brought to him a paralytic, carried by 
four men : 

4. And, finding that they could not come near to him 
on account of the crowd, they stripped the roof where he 
was, and making an opening, let down the couch on 
which the paralytic lay. 

(v. 45.) The reader will observe that this chapter, with the 
exception of the history of the ejection of the unclean spirit, and 
two or three unimportant additions, is an abridgment of the third, 
fourth, and eighth chapters, of St. Matthew. The discourse on 
the mountain is entirely omitted. 

(Ibid.) Began — rjp^aro. This verb is superfluous. But the 
frequent use of it is another peculiarity in St. Mark's style. 

(v. 4.) The houses were built generally of one story, sometimes 
of more, with a flat roof, enclosing an open quadrangular area 
round which ran a colonade or cloister. Strangers were generally 
received in the gateway or porch, which was furnished with seats 
for their accommodation ; but if the visitants were numerous, they 



MARK. 145 

5. But Jesus, noticing their faith, said to the paralytic, 
" Son, thy sins are forgiven thee." 

6. Now some of the scribes who were sitting there, 
reasoned thus in their hearts ; 

7. " Why doth this man speak in this manner ? He 
blasphemeth. Who, but God alone, can forgive sius ?" 

8. But Jesus, knowing in his own spirit that such was 
the reasoning in their hearts, said to them immediately : 
" Why do ye reason thus in your hearts ? 

9. Which is the more easy, to say to the paralytic ' thy 
sins are forgiven,' or to say, ' Rise, take up thy couch 
and walk thy way.' 

10. But to the end ye may know, that the son of man 
hath the power of forgiving sins upon earth," (he sayeth 
to the paralytic) 

11. "I say to thee, rise, take up thy couch, and go to 
thy home." 

12. And immediately he rose, and taking up his couch, 
went away in the presence of them all : so that all were 
in amazement, and glorified God, in these words, "Never 
did we see the like." 



were admitted into the area. It was probably there, or in the 
cloister, that our Saviour was seated on this occasion. There 
would be little difficulty in carrying the sick man on to the roof, 
because to large houses was generally attached a smaller one, built 
over the gateway, or at the back, out of which house a door led on 
to the roof of the other. There are writers, who cannot conceive 
that strangers, even on an occasion like this, would break an open- 
ing through the roof of another person's house. But it does not 
appear that the aperture was made into the dwelling house. Pro- 
bably it was only a part of the roof of the cloister that they 
removed ; perhaps only of the parapet-wall or balustrade on the 
roof next to the area, that they might lower the paralytic to the 
place where Jesus sat. This circumstance is added by St. Mark 
to the narrative of St. Matthew, c. ix. v. 1. 



140 MARK. 

13. And he went out again towards the sea, and the 
whole multitude resorted to him, and he taught them. 

14. And, as he passed along, he saw Levi, the son of 
Alphaeus, sitting at the toll-office, and said to him, " Fol- 
low thou me." And he rose and followed him. 

15. Now it happened that, while he lay at table in his 
house, many tax-gatherers and sinners took their places 
with Jesus and his disciples ; for there were many that 
followed him. 

16. And the scribes and pharisees seeing that he ate 
with the tax-gatherers and sinners, said to his disciples, 
" Why doth your master eat and drink with tax-gatherers 
and sinners ?" 

17. And Jesus hearing, said to them; "The healthy 
need not the physician, but the sick. I came not to call 
righteous men, but sinners." 

18. Now the disciples of John and the pharisees were 
accustomed to fast : and they come and say to him : "Why 
do the disciples of John and of the pharisees fast, and thy 
disciples do not?" 

19. And Jesus said to them : " Can the companions of 
the bridegroom fast, as long as the bridegroom is with 
them ? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, 
they may not fast. 

20. But the days will come, when the bridegroom will 
be taken from them. Then in those days will they fast. 

21. No one seweth a piece of unfulled cloth to an old 
garment ; otherwise the new patch teareth from the old, 
and a worse rent is made. 

22. And no one putteth new wine into old skins, other- 
wise the wine will burst the skins, and will run out, and 
the skins will become useless : but new wine must be 
put into new skins." 



MARK. 147 

23. Again it happened, that, as the Lord was walking 
through the corn fields on the sabbath, his disciples began 
to pluck the ears, as they passed along. 

24. And the pharisees said to him, " Lo ! why do thy 
disciples on the sabbath that which is not lawful ?" 

25. But he said to them, " Have ye never read what 
David did when he was in want, and he and his com- 
panions were hungry ? 

26. How he entered into the house of God, under 
Abiathar the high priest, and ate the loaves of the pre- 
sence, which it was not lawful for any but the priests to 
eat, and even gave to his companions." — 1 Kings xxi. 4 ; 
Lev. xxiv. 9. 

27. And he said to them, " The sabbath was made for 
man, and not man for the sabbath. 

28. Therefore the son of man is Lord even of the 
sabbath." 



CHAPTER III. 

MIRACULOUS CURES, CALLING OF THE APOSTLES, 
BLASPHEMY AGAINST THE HOLY GHOST. 

1. Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was 
there with a withered hand. 



{v. 23.) The Lord. From this expression it appears that when 
this evangelist wrote* it was already the custom to call Jesus the 
Lord. He is so called also by the angel in St. Matthew,, xxviii. 6. 

{v. 26.) Under Abiathar. In the Old Testament we read 
Achimelech. How then came the evangelist to write Abiathar ? 
We are ignorant. If it be not a false reading, there can be no 
doubt that he was justified in the use of that name ; for he could 
not be unacquainted with a fact, which must have been familiar to 
every Jew. 

(v. 1.) This and the preceding chapter are abridgments of the 

I 2 



148 MARK. 

2. And they watched him, whether he would heal him 
on the sabbath clay, for the purpose of accusing him. 

3. And he said to the man with the withered hand, 
" Stand up in the midst." 

4. Then said he to them, " Is it lawful on the sabbath 
day, to do good, or to do evil, to save life or to destroy 
it?" But they held their peace. 

5. And looking round on them angrily, and at the 
same time grieved at their blindness of heart, he said to 
the man, " Stretch out thy hand," and he stretched it 
out : and the hand was restored, (sound as the other). * 

6. And the pharisees going out, immediately took 
counsel against him with the Herodians, how they might 
destroy him. 

7. But Jesus withdrew with his disciples towards the 
sea, and a great multitude followed him from Galilee 
and Judea, 

8. And from Jerusalem and Idumea, and the bank of 
the Jordan ; and the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon, a 
great multitude, hearing what great things he wrought, 
came unto him. 

9. And he ordered his disciples to have a boat in wait- 
ing for him on account of the crowd, that they might not 
throng about him. 

10. For he healed many, so that all who had ailments 
pressed towards him to touch him. 

1 1 . And the unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell 



ninth, tenth, and twelfth of St. Matthew, with a few additional cir- 
cumstances, which it is probable the evangelist learned from St. 
Peter. 

(v. 5.) Sound as the other. These words are in the Greek, but 
not in the Latin. 



[v. 6.) Herodians. See c. viii. v. 15, note. 



MAEK. 149 

down before him, and cried aloud, saying, " Thou art the 
son of God." 

12. But he rebuked them severely, that they might not 
make him known. 

13. And he went up on the mountain, and called to 
him those whom he willed, and they went to him. 

14. And he appointed twelve, who might be with him, 
and might announce, 

15. And might have power to heal diseases, and to cast 
out fiends. 

16. Simon, to whom he assigned the surname of Ce- 
phas (Rock). 

17. And James the son of Zebedee, and John the bro- 
ther of James, to whom he gave the surname of Boanerges, 
that is, sons of thunder. 

18. And Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and 
Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheeus, 
and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Canaanite, 

19. And Judas the Iscariot, even he who betrayed him. 
Then they came into the house. 

20. And the multitude came to them again, so that 
they could not so much as eat their meals. 

21. And his kinsfolk hearing of it, came out to get 
hold of him, for they said, " He is out of himself." 

22. And the scribes, who had come down from Jeru- 



(v. 12.) Make him known. It is plain, from all the evangelists, 
that our Saviour did not announce himself, or suffer others to 
announce him to the people, as the son of God. He wished only 
to be taken by them for a teacher sent by God ; thus sowing the 
seed, which was to bear fruit after his resurrection. 

(v. 21.) Hence it would appear, that among the reports occa- 
sioned by the great resort to our Saviour, one was that his enthu- 
siasm had affected his brain, and that in consequence his mother 
and brethren (v. 32) came from Nazareth, for the purpose of look- 
ing after him. 



150 MARK. 

salem, said : " He is possessed with Beelzebub, and it is 
through the prince of fiends that he casteth out fiends." 

23. And calling them to him, he spake to them in 
parables, saying, " How can Satan cast out Satan ? 

24. And, if a kingdom be divided against itself, that 
kingdom cannot stand. 

25. And if a family be divided against itself, that 
family cannot stand. 

26. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, 
he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 

27. No one can enter the house of the strong man, and 
plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man, 
and then plunder his house. 

28. Verily I say to you that all manner of sins may be 
forgiven to the sons of men, and whatsoever blasphemies 
they may utter ; 

29. But whosoever blasphemeth against the Holy 
Ghost, he will never have forgiveness, but will be subject 
to everlasting condemnation. 1 ' 

30. Because they said, " He is possessed with an un- 
clean spirit." 

31. Then came his mother and brethren, and standing 
without, sent in to call him. 

32. And the people were sitting around him, and they 
said to him, " Behold, thy mother and brethren without 
are seeking thee." 

33. But he answered, saying : u Who is my mother, or 
my brethren ?" 

34. And looking around on those who sate about him, 
he said, " Behold my mother and my brethren. 

35. For whosoever doth the will of my father, he is my 
brother, and sister, and mother." 

{v. 28.) Sec Matt. xii. 31. 



MARK. 151 

CHAPTER IV. 

PARABLE OF THE SOWER, AND OTHER PARABLES. 

1. And he began a second time to teach near the sea : 
and so great a multitude gathered about him, that going 
into the bark, he sate (in it) on the sea, while all the mul- 
titude was on the shore near the sea. 

2. And he taught them many things in parables : and 
he said, while he was teaching, 

3. " Hearken— Behold the sower went out to sow. 

4. And it came to pass as he sowed, that some (seed) 
fell by the way side, and the birds of heaven came, and 
ate it up. 

5. And some fell on rocky ground, where it had not 
much earth ; and it sprouted quickly because it had not 
depth of soil. 

6. But, after the sun rose, it was scorched, and, because 
it had no root, it withered away. 

7. And some fell among the thorns, and the thorns 
grew up and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 

8. And some fell on good soil, and it produced fruit, 
growing and increasing, so as to yield this thirty, that 
sixty, and other some a hundred fold." 

9. Then he said : " He that hath ears to hear, let him 
hear." 

10. And when he was by himself, the twelve that 
attended on him, asked the meaning of the parable. 

11. And he said to them : " To you it hath been given 
to know the secrets of ■ the kingdom of God :' but to 
those that are without, all things are presented in 
parables ; 

{v. 1.) The bark. See c.iii. v. 9. 



152 MARK. 

12. So that looking they look, and do not see; and 
hearing, they hear, but do not understand : neither 
will they be converted, nor have their sins forgiven to 
them."— Is. vi. 9. 

13. And he said to them : " Do ye not understand this 
parable ? How then will ye understand all parables ? 

14. The sower is he that soweth the word. 

15. They by the side of the way, where the word is 
sown, are those, who hear indeed, but Satan immediately 
cometh, and carrieth away the word, that had been sown 
in their hearts. 

16. They likewise who receive the seed on rocky 
ground, are those that, when they hear the word, accept 
it with joy. 

17. But, as it is without root in them, they endure but 
for a time ; and then when persecution and tribulation 
on account of the word arise, they quickly fall. 

18. Others receive the seed among thorns. They are 
those who hear the word, 

19. But the cares of this life, the illusion of riches, and 
inordinate desires of other things, intrude and choke the 
word, till it becometh fruitless. 

20. But they who receive the seed on good soil, are they 
that hear the word, and cherish it, and yield fruit some 
thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred fold." 

21. Moreover he said to them : "Is a lamp brought 
in to be put under a measure, or under a bed ? Is it not 
that it may be put on a stand ? 

(v. 12.) In this verse, as in the parallel passage in St. Matthew, 
(xiii. 14) I have rendered Vva and f.ii)iroTt as indicative, not of the 
intention of the preacher, but of the result of his preaching with 
most of his hearers. That he sought in reality to improve and 
convert, is plain from the verses 21-23, 33. 

[v. 21.) The lamp is plainly our Saviour's doctrine in parables. 



MARK. 153 

22. For there is nothing hidden, which shall not be 
made manifest ; nor hath it been concealed, but that it 
may be brought to light. 

23. If a man have ears to hear, let him hear." 

24. And he said to them : " Consider what ye hear, 
for according to the measure with which ye meet, shall it 
be measured and added unto you. 

25. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given ; and 
whosoever hath not, from him what he hath shall be 
taken away." 

26. Again he said : " The kingdom of God is as if a 
man cast seed upon the land, 

27. And sleep by night, and rise by day, while the seed 
springeth up and groweth ; how, he knoweth not. 

28. For the earth of itself produceth, first the blade, 
then the ear, and afterwards the full-formed grain in the 
ear. 

29. But when it hath produced its fruit, immediately 
he putteth in the sickle, because it is time for the har- 
vest." 

30. Again he said : " To what shall we liken * the 
kingdom of God,' or with what parable shall we com- 
pare it? 

31. It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it 
is sown, is smaller than all the other seeds (sown) on the 
land. 

32. But after it is sown, it shooteth up, and becometh 
greater than any shrub, and pusheth out great branches, 
so that the birds of the air find shelter in its shade." 



(v. 24, 25.) The meaning is, that a man's improvement in spi- 
ritual knowledge shall be proportionate to his own diligence. 



154 MARK. 

33. And in many such parables did he speak the word 
to them, accordingly as they were able to understand. 

34. But he never spake to them but in parables, all 
which he explained to his disciples apart. 

35. And on that day, in the evening-, he said to his 
disciples : " Let us cross over to the other side." 

36. And dismissing the crowd, they took him as he 
was (sitting) in the bark ; and other boats accompanied 
him. 

37. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the 
waves burst over the bark, so that it grew full. 

38. But he was asleep on a pillow at the stern. And 
they awake him, and say to him : " Master, carest thou 
not that we perish ?" 

&9. And rising, he rebuked the wind, and addressed 
the sea : " Silence, be quiet." And the wind died away, 
and there came a great calm, 

40. And he said to them : " Why are ye so timid ? how 
is it that ye have no confidence ?" And they were fear- 
fully afraid, and said to one another : " What manner of 
man is this, for both the wind and the sea obey him ?" 



CHAPTER V. 

SEVERAL MIRACLES. 

1. And they crossed the sea, into the country of the 
Gerasenes. 

(v. 29.) This parable is an allegory, illustrative of our Saviour's 
conduct with respect to his teaching among the Jews. He sowed 
the seed in person, and then withdrew, to wait for the harvest, 
which was to be reaped by his apostles after his ascension into 
heaven. 

{v. 33.) He accommodated his lessons to the capacity of his 
hearers. 



MARK. 155 

2. And the moment he came out of the bark, he was 
met by a mau from the tombs, possessed with an unclean 
spirit, 

3. Who had his dwelling among the tombs, and whom 
no one could bind even with chains. 

4. For having been often bound with fetters and chains, 
he had burst the chains, and broken in pieces the fetters, 
and no one could master him. 

5. And he was continually, both night and day, among 
the hills and the tombs, howling, and tearing himself 
with stones. 

6. And seeing Jesus from afar, he ran, and worshipped 
him. 

7. And crying out with a loud voice, he said : " What 
hast thou to do with me, Jesus, son of the most high 
God ? I conjure thee by God, do not torment me." 

8. For he was saying to him : " Depart out of the man, 
thou unclean spirit." 

9. And he asked him, " What is thy name ?" And he 
replied : " My name is legion ; for we are many." 

10. And he begged of him earnestly not to drive them 
out of the country. 

11. Now there was a great herd of swine feeding about 
the mountain. 

12. And the spirits begged of him, saying : " Send us 
to the swine, that we may enter into them." 

13. And Jesus consented immediately. And the 
unclean spirits going out, entered into the swine, and 



(v. 1.) The three miracles which fill up this chapter, are briefly 
related by St. Matthew, c. viii. v. ix. How comes it that St. Mark, 
who so often abridges the narrative of that evangelist, in these and 
some other instances, adds to it ? Probably to preserve the memory 
of the additional circumstances, the knowledge of which he had 
derived from his master, St. Peter. 



156 MARK. 

the herd (they were about two thousand) rushed down the 
precipice into the sea, and were drowned in the sea. 

14. But the swineherds fled, and told it in the town 
and the country. And men came out to see what had 
happened. 

15. And they come to Jesus; and they behold the 
demoniac sitting down, and in his clothes, and of sound 
mind ; and they were afraid. 

16. And the spectators told them what had been done 
to the demoniac, and about the swine. 

17. And they began to beg of him to leave their 
country. 

18. And as he entered the bark, the demoniac asked 
leave to remain with him. 

19. But Jesus did not suffer it, but said to him : " Go 
to thy house, to thine own ; and tell them what great 
things the Lord hath done for thee, and how he hath had 
pity on thee." 

20. And he went his way, and began to announce in 
Decapolis what great things Jesus had done for him ; 
and all were amazed. 

21. Now when Jesus had crossed back again in the 
bark to the opposite shore, a great multitude gathered 
about him. And he was near the sea, 

22. When behold one of the chiefs of the synagogue, 
by name Jairus, cometh, and, seeing him, falleth at his 
feet, 



{v. 18.) It should be observed, that where St. Mark speaks 
only of one demoniac healed on this occasion, St. Matthew (viii. 
28) speaks of two. We may account for the discrepancy, by sup- 
posing that there was nothing peculiar in the case of one of the 
demoniacs, and that therefore St. Mark confines his narrative to 
the other. 



MARK. 157 

23. And earnestly beggeth of him, sayeth : " My little 
girl is at her last gasp ; come, put thy hand on her for 
her recovery, and she will live." 

24. And he went with him ; and a great multitude fol- 
lowed him, and they thronged about him. 

25. And a certain woman, who had been afflicted for 
twelve years with an issue of blood, 

26. Who had suffered much under many physicians, 
and had spent all her property, but instead of receiving 
relief, had rather grown worse, 

27. Hearing of Jesus, came behind him in the crowd, 
and touched his cloak. 

28. For she said : " If I touch only his clothes, I shall 
be healed." 

29. And immediately the source of her blood was dried 
up, and she felt in her body that she was healed from 
that scourge. 

30. And immediately Jesus, aware in his own mind 
that virtue had gone out of him, turning to the crowd, 
said : " Who touched my clothes ?" 

31. And his disciples said to them : " Thou seest the 
pressure of the crowd upon thee, and dost thou ask, ' who 
touched me' ?" 

32. And he looked around to discover her who had 
done it. 

33. And the woman, fearing, trembling, and conscious 
of what had happened to her, came, and fell down before 
him, and told him the whole truth. 

34. And he said to her : " Daughter, thy faith hath 
healed thee ; go in peace, and be thou quit of thy scourge." 

35. While he was yet speaking, there came messengers 
from the house of the chief of the synagogue, saying : 



158 MARK. 

" Thy daughter is dead : why dost thou contiuue to 
trouble the master r" 

36. But Jesus as soon as he heard what was said, 
sayeth to the chief of the synagogue, " Fear not : only 
have confidence. 1 ' 

37. And he suffered no one to follow with him but 
Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. 

38. And they come to the house of the chief of the 
synagogue : and he seeth the uproar, and the people 
wailing and uttering their laments. 

39. And entering he sayeth to them, " Why make ye 
this cry and wail ? The child is not dead but sleepeth." 

40. But they jeered at him. He, however, having made 
all go out, taketh with him the father of the child and the 
mother, and his companions, and entereth the room where 
the child lay. 

41. And taking hold of the child's hand, he sayeth to 
her, " Talitha cumi," words that signify, " Girl, I say to 
thee, arise." 

42. And immediately the girl arose, and walked about, 
for she was twelve years old. And they were out of 
themselves with astonishment. 

43. But he having strictly charged them to let no one 
know, bade them to give her to eat. 



CHAPTER VI. 

JESUS IN HIS OWN COUNTRY, THE DEATH OF THE 

BAPTIST, MULTIPLICATION OF LOAVES, AND 

OTHER MIRACLES. 

1. Now, leaving that place, he went to his own country, 
and his disciples followed him. 

(v. 41.) Talitha cumi. It has already been observed, that this 
evangelist, writing at Rome, is always careful to explain the mean- 
ing of the Hebrew words which he employs. 



MARK. 159 

2. And on the sabbath he began to teach in the syna- 
gogue. And many of the hearers wondered at his teach- 
ing, and said : — " How cometh he by all this ? And what 
manner of wisdom is this which hath been given to him ; 
and these mighty works which are wrought by his hands ? 

3. Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother 
of James, and Joseph, and Judas and Simon ? Are not 
his sisters also here among us ?" Thus he was a stum- 
bling-block to them. 

4. And Jesus said to them : " It is only in his own 
country, at his own home, and among his kindred, that a 
prophet is treated without respect." 

5. And he could do no mighty work there, besides the 
cure of a few sick persons, by the imposition of his hands. 

6. And he marvelled at their unbelief, and made a cir- 
cuit through the surrounding villages to teach. 

7. Then he called to him the twelve, and began to send 
them two and two ; and gave them power over unclean 
spirits. 

8. And he commanded them to take nothing with them 
on the road but a staff only ; not a scrip, nor provisions, 
nor money in the girdle ; 

9. But to be shod with sandals, and to have but one 
coat 

10. And he said to them, " Wheresoever ye shall enter 
into a family, abide therein, till ye depart from the place. 

11. " And whosoever do not receive you, nor hearken 
to you, going thence, shake off the dust from your feet, 
for testimony to them." 

12. And they, going forth, announced, that men should 
repent. 

13. And they cast out many fiends, and anointed with 
oil, and healed many sick persons. 



160 MARK. 

14. Now, for 'his name was become public, Herod the 
king heard of it, and said, " John the baptist is risen 
from the dead, and therefore mighty works are wrought 
by him. 1 ' 

15. But some said, " He is Elias," others said, " He is 
a prophet like to one of e the prophets'." 

16. But Herod, when he heard of him, said, " This 
man is the very John whom I beheaded : he is risen 
from the dead." 

17. For Herod himself had sent and apprehended John 
and kept him bound in prison on account of Herodias 
his brother Philip's wife, because he had married her. 

18 For John said to Herod, " It is not lawful for thee 
to have thy brother's wife." — Lev. xviii. 16. ; xx. 21. 

19. Now Herodias felt a spite against him, and wished 
to put him to death, but could not. 

20. Because Herod revered John, knowing him to be a 
righteous and holy man, and kept him carefully, and did 
many things at his suggestion, and heard him with plea- 
sure. 

21. But, when a convenient opportunity arrived, Herod 
on his birthday, made a feast for his great men, and cap- 
tains, and the principal estates of Galilee. 

22. And the daughter of Herodias herself came in, and 
danced, and pleased both Herod and his guests, so 
that the king said to the damsel, " Ask me whatsover 
thou wilt have, and I will give it thee." 

23. And he sware to her : " Whatsoever thou shalt 
ask, I will give it thee, though it be the half of my king- 
dom." 

24. Now she going out, said to her mother, " What 
shall I ask ?" But she replied, " The head of John the 
baptist." 

25. And immediately, entering with speed to the king^ 



MARK. 161 

she asked in these words : " I would that you give me 
without delay the head of John the Baptist in a charger." 

26. And the king was struck with sorrow; but on 
account of his oath, and of those that lay at table with 
him, he would not disappoint her. 

27. But immediately he ordered a soldier of the guard 
to go, and bring back his head in a charger. 

28. And he beheaded him in prison, and brought his 
head in a charger. And he gave it to the girl, and the 
girl gave it to her mother. 

29. And when his disciples heard of it, they came, and 
carried away his body, and laid it in a tomb. 

30. Now the Apostles came together to Jesus, and told 
him all that they had done, and all that they had taught. 

31. And he said to them, " Come aside into a desert 
place, and rest a while." For the comers and goers were 
many ; and they had not even leisure to take their meals. 

32. And they sailed away in a bark for a desert place 
by themselves. 

33. And the people saw them depart : and many knew 
the place : and they ran there on foot out of all the towns 
and villages, and got there before them. 

34. And when Jesus left the bark, he saw a great mul- 
titude ; and he had compassion on them, because they 
were like sheep without a shepherd ; and he began to 
instruct them on many matters. 

35. And when it was late in the day, his disciples 
accosted him, saying : " This is a desert place and it is 
now late. 

36. Dismiss them, that they may go to the farms and 
villages round about, and buy food to eat." 

37. But he made answer : " Give them to eat your- 
selves." And they said to him : " Are we then to go and 

M 



162 MARK. 

buy two hundred pennyworth of bread to give them to 
eat ?" 

38. But he said : " How many loaves have ye ? Go 
and look." And having looked, they said, " Five, and 
two fishes." 

39. And he commanded them to make all lie down in 
companies on the green sward. 

40. And they lay down in parties, some of a hundred, 
and some of fifty. 

41. And, when he had taken the five loaves and two 
fishes, looking up to heaven he blessed them, and 
brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to place 
before them ; and the two fishes he distributed among 
them all. 

42. And all did eat, and were satisfied. 

43. And they took away twelve baskets full of the 
fragments, and of (the remains of) the fishes. 

44. But the number of those who ate, was about five 
thousand men. 

45. And immediately he forced his disciples to embark, 
that they might cross to Bethsaida, before him, while he 
dismissed the multitude. 

46. And having dismissed them, he went up the moun- 
tain to pray. 

47. And when it was late, the bark was in the midst 
of the sea, and he alone on land. 

48. And he saw them toiling at the oars — for the wind 
was contrary to them — and about the fourth watch of the 
night, he came to them walking on the sea, and made as 
if he meant to pass by them. 

(v. 48.) See note on St. Matthew, xiv. 15. 



MARK. 163 

49. But they, seeing him walking upon the sea, took 
him for an apparition, and cried out. 

50. For they all saw him, and were frightened. But 
immediately he spake to them, and said : " Be of good 
heart : it is I ; do not fear." 

51. And he entered to them in the bark ; and the wind 
fell. And they were more amazed and astounded than 
ever. 

52. For they did not think of the (wonder of the) loaves, 
because they were blind of heart. 

53. And when they had crossed, they came to the land 
of Genesareth, and moored there. 

54. And when they had disembarked, the people im- 
mediately knew him, 

55. And running over all that country, they began to 
carry the sick upon couches to the place where they heard 
that he was. 

56. And wheresoever he entered a village or a town or 
a district, they set the sick in the public places, and beg- 
ged that they might touch but the tuft of his garment : 
and as many as did touch it, were healed. 



CHAPTER VII. 

TRADITIONS OF THE PHARISEES, MIRACLES. 

1. Now there resorted to him the pharisees, and cer- 
tain scribes who came from Jerusalem. 

2. And when they saw some of his disciples eat their 
bread with unclean, that is, unwashen hands, they found 
fault. 

{v. 2.) In this and the two next verses, the reader will observe 
the care of the evangelist to explain to the Roman Christians, for 

M 2 



164 MARK. 

3. For the pharisees and all the Jews eat not, unless 
they have washed their hands with the fist closed. Hold- 
ing (in this) the tradition of the elders. 

4. Nor, (when they return) from the market place, 
do they eat, unless they have dipped (them) in water. 
And many other things are there, which have been deli- 
vered to them to be observed, baptisms of cups, and pots, 
and brazen vessels, and beds. 

5. And the pharisees and scribes asked him, " Why do 
thy disciples walk not according to the tradition of the 
elders, but eat their bread with unwashen hands ?" 

6. But he made this answer : " Well did Isaias pro- 
phesy of you, ye hypocrites, as it is written, this people 
honour eth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 

7. It is in vain that they worship me, teaching doctrines 
(which are) the precepts of men. — Is. xxix. 15. 

8. For ye leave the commandment of God, and hold 
the tradition of men, the baptisms of pots and cups : and 
many other like things do ye." 

9. And he said to them : " Well do ye make void the 
command of God, that ye may observe your own tradition. 

10. For Moses said ; honour thy father and thy mother, 
(Ex. x. 1 2 J and he that speaketh evil to father or mother ; 
let him die the death. — Ex. xx. 12. : xxi. 17. 



whom he wrote, the peculiar phraseology and customs of the Jews. 
St. Matthew, in the parallel narrative, supposes all these things 
known to his readers. 

(v. 3.) Fist closed — Trvyfirj — crebro. The Latin translator, 
unable to understand washing with the fist, seems, in despair, to 
have rendered wy^y by crebro. It is probable that, as the legal 
uncleanness was contracted by the touch, and generally therefore 
with the inside of the hand, the Jews were taught to wash the inside 
of one with the clenched fist, and consequently with the outside of 
the other, which outside was not unclean. From the fourth verse 
it seems that, on occasion of their return from public meetings, 
they were taught to plunge the whole hand into water. 






MARK. 165 

11. But ye say, ' whosoever shall say to his father or 
mother, of every corhan (that is offering) given by me, 
the benefit be thine.' 

12. Ye no longer suffer him to do aught for his father 
or his mother, 

13. Making of none effect the command of God through 
the tradition which ye teach. And many other like 
things do ye." 

14. And calling to him the multitude again, he said to 
them, "Hear me, all ye, and understand. 

15. Nothing, which is without a man, can defile him by 
entering into him. But the things which issue from 
a man, are they that defile the man. 

16. If any one have ears to hear, let him hear." 

17. And, when he had withdrawn from the multitude 
into a house, his disciples asked the meaning of the 
parable. 

18. And he said to them : " Are ye then so dull of un- 
derstanding also ? Do ye not see that no thing from 
without, if it enter a man, can defile him ? 

19. Because it proceedeth not to his heart, but into 
the belly, and passeth into the privy. This maketh clean 
all manner of food." 

{v. 11.) See Matt. xv. 5. 

(v. 19.) 77ms maketh clean. There is something extremely 
awkward in the construction of this sentence : " that which enter- 
eth a man, passeth to the privy, rendering clean all manner of 
food" — nadapi&v izavra to. fipwfjLara — purgans omnes escas. It 
has been proposed to read, according to the Syriac version, icada- 
piZovra, as if it were the privy to which this effect is attributed ; 
and Dr. Marsh has ingeniously suggested, that the tcl at the end 
of the word might easily have been omitted by some copyist, 
because the three following words end with the same syllable. 
But this correction does not appear to me consistent with the rest 
of the discourse. The object of our blessed Lord is evidently to 



166 MARK. 

20. But he said, " That which issueth from a man, 
that defileth the man. 

21. For it is from within, from the hearts of men, that 
issue evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 

22. Thefts, insatiableness, maliciousness, deceit, lewd- 
ness, the envious eye, calumny, pride, folly : 

23. All these evil things issue from within, and defile 
the man." 

24. And leaving this place, he proceeded to the fron- 
tiers of Tyre and Sidon, and entered a house, wishing no 
one to know it. But he could not conceal himself. 

25. For a woman, whose little daughter was possessed 
with an unclean spirit, hearing of him, came in, and 
threw herself at his feet. 

26. The woman was a Greek, a native of Syrophenicia, 
and begged of him to cast the fiend out of her daughter. 

27. But he said to her : " Let the children be satisfied 
first : for it is not meet to take the bread of the children, 
and cast it to the dogs." 

28. But she said in reply ; " Yea, Lord, for the very 
dogs under the table eat of the crumbs of the children." 

prepare his hearers for the abolition of the legal distinction between 
meats clean and unclean. He therefore teaches, tbat no moral 
defilement can arise from the nature of the food itself ; and proves 
it, not because it passeth to the sink, but because it cannot reach 
the heart — tbat is, according to the Hebrew idiom, the affections 
of the soul, the only real source of moral defilement. This, the 
not reaching to the heart, is that which Kadapt£et iravra ra jjpoj- 
/jLara, maketh clean all manner of food. The structure of the pas- 
sage is undoubtedly irregular, but not more so than many others. 
See xiii. 34-36 ; xiv. 5 ; and above, vii. 11, 12. 

(v. 27.) Children. That is, let me first announce my mission, 
and shew my miraculous power, to the Jews, and then to the 
Gentiles. The additional words, it is not meet, &c. appear to have 
been a proverb in general use. 

(v. 28.) As if she had said, one crumb of the bread may be 
given ; one cure, out of numbers, may be wrought in favour of the 
Gentile. 



MARK. 167 

29. x\nd he said to her ; " In reward of that answer, 



go : the fiend hath left thy daughter." 

30. And returning to her house, she found the fiend 
gone, and her daughter lying on the bed. 

31. Again leaving the borders of Tyre, he went through 
Sidon, and the midst of Dicapolis, to the sea of Galilee. 

32. And they bring to him a man who was both deaf 
and a stammerer, and beg of him to put his hand on him. 

33. And taking him aside from the people, he put his 
fingers into his ears, and touched his tongue with spittle. 

34. And looking up to heaven, he groaned, and said to 
him, " Ephphetha," that is, " be opened." 

35. And immediately his ears were opened, and the 
ligament of his tongue was loosed, and he spake distinctly. 

36. And he charged them to tell no one. But the 
more he charged them, the more did they publish it ; 

37. And still the more did they marvel, saying, " He 
hath done all things well. He hath made both the deaf 
to hear, and the dumb to speak." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

SECOND MULTIPLICATION OF LOAVES : CONFESSION 
OF PETEH. 

1. In those days, when the multitude was very nume- 
rous, and without food to eat, Jesus called his disciples 
to him, and said ; 

2. " I have pity on the multitude ; for they have now 
been with me three days, and have nothing to eat, 

[v. 32.) A stammerer — fxoyi\a\oy— mutum. That the reading 
of the Greek text is preferable, will appear from v. 35. 



168 MARK. 

3. And, if I dismiss them fasting to their homes, they 
will grow faint by the way ; for some of them come from 
afar." 

4. But his disciples answered him : " Whence can one 
get bread to satisfy these men here in the desert ?" 

5. And he asked them, " How many loaves have ye ?" 
But they said, " Seven." 

6. And he ordered the multitude to lie down on the 
ground : and taking the seven loaves, and giving thanks, 
he brake them, and gave them to the disciples to distri- 
bute : and they distributed to the people. 

7. And they had a few small fishes, which he blessed, 
and ordered to be distributed also. 

8. And they did eat, and were satisfied : and they car- 
ried away the remains of the fragments, seven baskets 
full. 

9. Now those who ate were about four thousand, and 
he dismissed them. 

10. And immediately going into a bark with his disci- 
ples he came into the country of Dalmanutha. 

11. And the pharisees, coming out, began to wrangle 
with him, requiring of him a sign from heaven, and 
making a trial of him. 

12. But he, groaning in spirit, said ; " Why doth this 
race seek for a sign ? Verily I say to you, no sign shall 
be given to this race." 

13. Having dismissed them, he went again on board, 
and was crossing the sea. 

14. Now they had forgotten to provide bread, and had 
only one loaf with them in the bark. 



MARK. 169 

15. And he charged them in these words : " Take care, 
and beware of the leaven of the pharisees, and of the lea- 
ven of Herod." 

16. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, 
" (This is) because we have no bread." 

17. Now Jesus knowing it, said to them : " Why rea- 
son ye about your not having bread ? Do ye not per- 
ceive nor understand ? Are ye still blind of heart ? 

18. Have ye eyes, yet see not, ears yet hear not? Do 
ye not remember ? 

19. When I brake the five loaves among the five thou- 
sand people, how many baskets full of fragments did ye 
takeaway?" They say : "Twelve." 

20. " And when I brake the seven among the four 
thousand, how many baskets of fragments did ye take 
away ?" They say to him, " Seven." 

21. And he said to them, " How then is it that ye do 
not understand ?" 

22. Now he cometh to Bethsaida, and they bring to 
him a blind man, and beg that he will touch him. 

23. And taking the hand of the blind man, he led him 
out of the village, and spat on his eyes, and laid his 
hands on him, and asked him if he saw anything. 

24. And looking up, he said, " I see the men walking 
about, (but they look) like trees." 



(v. 15.) Of Herod. If by the leaven of Herod, as by that of 
the pharisees, we are to understand false doctrine or irreligious 
discipline, it will follow that this Herod was not the prince of that 
name, but the founder of some sect among the Jews. We find 
his disciples mentioned both in Jerusalem and in Capharnaum. 
In the parallel passage in St. Matthew, (xvi. 6) we read the leaven 
of the Sadducees, instead of Herod. Was Herod then a distin- 
guished master of that sect ? 



170 MARK. 

25. Then he put his hands again upon his eyes, and 
caused him to look up, and he was restored to sight, and 
saw them all clearly at a distance. 

26. And he sent him to his home , saying, " Go to thy 
home, and if thou enter the village, tell no one." 

27. And Jesus with his disciples proceeded thence 
towards the villages of Cesarea Philippi, and in the way 
he questioned his disciples in these words, " Who do 
men say that I am ?" 

28. But they made answer, "John the baptist, and 
some Elias, but others one of the prophets." 

29. Then he said to them, " But ye, who do ye say 
that I am ?" And Peter made answer, " Thou art the 
Messiah." 

30. Then he charged them to tell no one concerning 
him. 

31. And he began to teach them, that it behoved the 
son of man to suffer many torments, and to be rejected 
by the elders, and the high priests, and the scribes, and 
to be put to death, and to rise again after three days. 

32. And he spake the word very plainly : and Peter 
taking him aside, began to chide him. 

33. But he turning and looking at his disciples, rebuked 
him, saying, " Go behind me, Satan, for thy thoughts are 
not on the things of God but on those of men." 

34. Then calling to him the people with his disciples, 
he said to them, " If any man will come after me, let him 
renounce himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

35. For he, who shall seek to save his life, will lose it; 



{v. 25, 26.) It is plain that the copy from which the author of 
the Latin version translated, had a very different reading from the 
present Greek text. 



MARK. 171 

and he who shall lose his life for the sake of me, and of 
' the good tidings,' will save it. 

36. For what profit will a man have, if he gain the 
whole world, and yet forfeit his life ? 

37. Or what shall a man give in exchange for his 
soul ? 

38. For he who shall be ashamed of me and of my 
words in this adulterous and sinful race, the son of man 
will also be ashamed of him, when he shall come in the 
glory of his father with the holy angels." 

39. And he said to them : " Verily 1 say to you, of 
those that stand here, there are some who shall not taste 
of death, till they see the ' kingdom of God' coming in 
its might." 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE TRANSFIGURATION : PREDICTION OF OUR 
SAVIOUR'S DEATH : MORAL PRECEPTS. 

1. Now six days afterwards, Jesus taketh Peter, and 
James and John, and leadeth them up a high mountain 
apart by themselves ; where he was transfigured before 
them. 

2. And his garments became dazzling, exceedingly 
white as snow, of a whiteness, such as no fuller upon earth 
can produce. 

3. And there appeared to them Elias with Moses, who 
were in conversation with Jesus. 

4. And Peter addressing him, said : " Rabbi, it is good 

{v. 36.) See Matt. xxvi. 2& note. 



172 MARK. 

for us to be here : and let us make three huts, one for 
thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias." 

5. For be knew not what he said ; they were so much 
afraid. 

6. And a cloud overshadowed them ; and a voice came 
from the cloud saying ; " This is my son, my beloved, 
hear ye him." 

7. And immediately looking round, they saw no one 
but Jesus in their company. 

8. And, as they came down from the mountain, Jesus 
forbade them to tell what they had seen, to any one, 
until the son of man were risen from the dead. 

9. And they kept these words to themselves, asking of 
one another what was meant by rising from the dead ? 

10. And they put to him this question, " Why then do 
the scribes and pharisees say, that Elias must come first?" 

11. And he answered, "Elias, indeed, cometh and 
putteth all things in order. 

12. Nay, I say to you that Elias hath come already, 
and they have done to him whatsoever they pleased ; 

(v. 11.) All things. These words, in the original, are followed 
by a passage which has long tormented translators and expositors : 
And how it hath been written of the son of man, that he hath 
many things to suffer, and to be set at nought ; a passage which, 
in its present place, cannot be made to harmonize with the con- 
text. I have therefore ventured to transpose it, as a mistake of 
some copyist, from the end of this verse to the end of the next. 
If the reader compare the answer of our Saviour here with the 
corresponding answer in St. Matthew, (xvii. 12) he will see reason 
to believe that our evangelist had the text of St. Matthew lying 
before him. Now in that text, nothing similar to this passage 
occurs in the answer regarding the baptist, but something very 
similar is added afterwards ; that is, so also is the son of man 
about to suffer from them. And this addition appears to have 
been made, on account of the enquiry of the apostles respecting 
his rising from the dead. Hence it seems to me, that originally 
this passage occupied the corresponding place in St. Mark. In 
St. Matthew, for koli 7rwc, we read outio ml. 



MARK. 173 

13. As hath been written of him, so also hath it been 
written of the son of man, that he hath to suffer many 
things and to be set at nought." 

1 4. Then, as he went, towards his disciples, he saw a 
great multitude about them, and the scribes wrangling 
with them. 

15. And immediately as the people saw him, they were 
struck with amazement, and ran and saluted him. 

16. And he asked the scribes, " What are ye wrangling 
about with them ?" 

17. And one of the people made answer; " Master, I 
have brought my son to thee, who is possessed with a 
dumb spirit. 

18. And, wheresoever he seizeth him, he dasheth him 
down ; where he foameth and grindeth his teeth, and 
wasteth away : and I told (the case) to thy disciples 
that they might cast him out, but they could not." 

19. And he answered, " O unbelieving race, how long 
shall I be among you ? How long shall I bear with you ? 
Bring him to me." 

20. And they brought him. And immediately as he 
fixed his eyes on him, the spirit threw him into convul- 
sions ; and falling, he rolled, and foamed on the ground. 

21. And he asked his father, " How long is it since 
this happened to him ?" And he answered, " From his 
childhood. 

22. And he hath often thrown him both into the fire 
and the water to destroy him. But if thou canst, do have 
pity on us, and assist us." 

23. But Jesus said to him : " If thou canst believe ; 
all things are possible in favour of him who believeth." 

24. And immediately the father of the boy exclaimed 
with tears ; " I believe, Lord ; aid thou my want of 
belief." 



174 MARK. 

25. Then Jesus, seeing that the people were running 
towards him, rebuked the unclean spirit, in these words ; 
" Thou dumb and deaf spirit, it is I who command thee ; 
leave him, and never more come into him." 

26. And the spirit cried aloud, and threw him into 
strong convulsions, and he appeared as one dead, so that 
many said, " He is dead." 

27. But Jesus, taking hold of his hand, raised him, and 
he stood up. 

28. And when he had entered the house, his disciples 
asked him apart, " On what account was it that we could 
not cast him out ?" 

29. And he said to them, " This kind will not go out 
but for prayer and fasting." 

30. And going thence they traversed Galilee, but he 
did not wish it to be known by any one ; 

31. Because he was teaching his disciples, saying to 
them, " The son of man is about to be delivered into the 
hands of men, and they will put him to death, and, after 
his death, he will rise again on the third day." 

32. But they did not understand his words, and were 
afraid to ask him questions. 

33. And he entered Capharnaum : and being in the 
house, he asked them, " What were ye debating among 
yourselves in the way ?" 

34. But they were silent. For in the way they had 
debated, among themselves, who was the greater. 

35. And, sitting down, he called the twelve, and said 
to them, " If any one wish to be the first, he must be the 
last of all, and the serving man of all." 

36. And, taking a little child, he placed him in the 
midst of them, and holding him in his arms, he said to 
them, 



MARK. 175 

37. " Whosoever receiveth but one such little child in 
my name, receiveth me ; and whosoever receiveth me, 
receiveth not me, but him who sent me." 

38. But John accosting him, said : " We saw some one 
casting out devils in thy name, who doth not follow us, 
and we hindered him." 

39. And he said ; " Hinder him not. For there is no 
one that worketh mighty works in my name, who will 
readily speak evil of me. 

40. For he, that is not against you, is for you. 

41. Whosoever shall give unto you to drink a cup of 
water in my name, because you are Messiah's, (disciples) 
verily I say to you that he shall not lose his reward. 

42. And whosoever shall be the cause of sin to one of 
these little ones, who believe in me, it were better for him 
that a mill stone were hung round his neck, and he were 
cast into the se&. 

43. And if thy hand be to thee the cause of sin, cut it 
off : it is better for thee to enter maimed into life, than 
with both thy hands to go into Gehenna, into the 
unquenchable fire. 

44. Where their worm dieth not, and their fire is never 
quenched. — Is. lxvi. 24. 

45. And if thy foot be to thee the cause of sin, cut it 
off : it is better for thee to enter lame into life, than with 
both thy feet to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable 
fire. 

46. Where their worm dieth not, and their fire is never 
quenched. 

47. And if thine eye be to thee the cause of sin, cast it 
from thee : it is better for thee to enter with one eye into 
life, than with both eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire. 

48. Where their worm dieth not, and their fire is never 
quenched. 



176 MARK. 

49. For with fire shall every one (of them) be seasoned, 
as every victim is seasoned with salt. — Lev. ii. 13. 

50. Salt is good. But if salt lose its savour, with what 
shall it be seasoned ? Preserve salt in yourselves, and 
peace among one another. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE BOND OF MATRIMONY : REWARD OF CHRIST'S 

FOLLOWERS : SONS OF ZEBEDEE : CURE OF 

THE BLIND MAN. 

1. And leaving this place, he proceeded to the borders 
of Judea, upon the Jordan, and again the people crowded 
to him, and again he taught them, as he was wont. 

2. And the pharisees came, and asked him, if it be 
lawful for a man to put away his wife. This was for the 
purpose of trying him. 

3. But he said in return, " What did Moses command 
you?" 

4. They replied ; " Moses permitted us to write a bill 
of divorce, and to put her away." — Deut. xxiv. 1. 

5. But Jesus answered ; " It was on account of your 
perverseness that Moses wrote this precept. 

6. But from the beginning of the creation, God made 
them a male and a female. 

7. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mo- 
ther, and hold to his wife, 

8. And the two shall become one flesh. — Gen. ii. 24. 
Wherefore they are no longer two, but one flesh. 

9. What then God hath joined together, let not man 
put asunder." 

(v. 50.) If you fail, that should teach others, then who will 
teach you ? 



MARK. 177 

10. And in the house his disciples asked him again 
respecting- the same matter ; 

11. And he said to them : " Whosoever shall put away 
his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery upon 
her. 

12 And, if the wife put away her husband, and marry 
another, she committeth adultery." 

13. And they brought little children to him, that he 
might touch them : but his disciples found fault with 
those who brought them. 

14. Now Jesus seeing it, was displeased, and said to 
them : " Suffer the children to come to me, and hinder 
them not : for it is of such that is ' the kingdom of God/ 

15. Verily I say to you, he that doth not receive ' the 
kingdom of God' like a little child, will never enter 
into it." 

16. And taking them in his arms, and placing his 
hands upon them, he gave them his blessing. 

17. And, as he went out into the road, a certain person, 
running towards him, and bending the knee, asked him, 
" Good master, what 4 shall I do to inherit everlasting life?" 



(v. 11.) Upon her — ew avTr/r — super earn. That is, on the 
second, because he was still the husband of the first. This is equi- 
valent to a revocation of the permission of polygamy. It should 
be observed, that St. Mark here corrects the narrative of St* 
Matthew. From the latter, the reader might incautiously take 
this passage for part of the answer to the pharisees, whereas it 
was an answer given to a question put privately by the apostles. 

(v. 12.) If the wife. By the law of Moses, the husband was 
permitted to give a bill of divorce to the wife ; but no permission 
was granted to the wife, to do the same to the husband. We 
learn, however, from Josephus, that this had been lately introduced 
by Salome, the sister of Herod the Great, who had been imitated 
by Herodias and others. Ant. xv. 7 ; xviii. 5. 

N 



178 MARK. 

18. But Jesus said to him, " Why dost thou call me 
good ? None is good but one, (that is) God. 

19. Thou knowest the commandments ; thou shalt not 
commit adultery, thou shalt not commit murder, thou 
shalt not commit theft, thou shalt not bear false testimony, 
thou shalt do no injury, honour thy father and mother." 

20. But he made answer to him ; " Master, all these 
things I have kept from my childhood." 

21. And Jesus looking on him with kindness, said to 
him ; " One thing is wanting to thee : go, sell whatsoever 
thou hast, and give it to the poor ; and thou wilt have 
treasure in heaven. Then come, take up the cross, and 
follow me." 

22. But he being grieved at these words, went away 
in sorrow : for he was one who had much property. 

23. And Jesus looking round, said to his disciples, 
" How difficult it is for men with money to enter ' the 
kingdom of God ?' " 

24. The disciples were surprised at these words. But 
Jesus again took occasion to say, " Children, how diffi- 
cult it is for those, who put their trust in money, to enter 
into the ' kingdom of God ?' 

25. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of 
a needle, than for a rich man to enter into ' the kingdom 
of God.' " 



(v. 18.) We know not what the original epithet was, which has 
been translated ayaQe, good. That it was one which could be 
applied with propriety to God only, appears from our Saviour's 
answer. Hence it ought not to have been given to Jesus by one 
who considered him as a mere man, though commissioned by God. 

(v. 21.) The reader will recollect that this total renunciation of 
property, was the condition under which the Hebrew converts were 
to be admitted into the Christian Church, and which now drew 
from our Saviour the remark, how difficult it was for a rich man 
among the Jews to enter that Church. 



MARK. 179 

26. But they wondered still more, saying among them- 
selves, " Who then can be saved ?" 

27. And Jesus looking on them, said ; " With man this 
is impossible, but not with God. With God all things 
are possible." 

28. Then Peter'jbegan to say to him : " Behold, we 
have forsaken all things, and have followed thee." 

29. Jesus answered : " Verily I say to you, there is no 
one who hath forsaken home, or brothers, or sisters, or 
father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my 
sake, and for the sake of ' the good tidings,' 

30. That will not receive now, at this time a hundred 
fold, homes, and brothers and sisters, and mothers, and 
children, and lands, together with persecutions, and in the 
world to come life everlasting. 

31. But*many that are first shall be last, and many 
that are last, shall be first." 

32.|Now they were on the road going up to Jerusalem : 
and Jesus went before them ; and they were amazed (at 

(v. 28.) We, in opposition to the young man who could not 
make up his mind to do as much. 

(v. 29.) Wife. This word is not in the Latin but it is in the 
Greek text, and in the parallel passage in St. Matthew, xix. 29. 

(v. 30.) Together with persecutions — fiera awy^uwv — cum per- 
secutionibus. If this be the true reading, it was probably added 
to point out to them that they were not to build on this promise a 
hope of living free from persecution. But after all the conjectures 
and emendations of critics, I am inclined to think that the words 
have been introduced here by some mistake. 

{v. 30.) -This verse is prophetic, and its fulfilment, almost to the 
letter, in regard of the first professors of the Gospel in Jerusalem, 
where a community of property was established, and all had one 
mind, and all treated each other as if they were united by the 
strongest ties of consanguinity, proves that in the preceding verses 
our Saviour alluded to the original Church of the Hebrew 
Christians. 

N 2 



180 MARK. 

it) and followed him with fear. But he, taking to him- 
self the twelve, began again to tell them of the things 
about to befall him. 

33. " Behold," said he, " we are going up to Jerusalem ; 
and the son of man will be delivered to the high priests, 
and scribes, and elders, who will condemn him to death, 
and deliver him to the Gentiles. 

34. And they will mock him, and spit upon him, and 
scourge him, and put him to death ; and he will rise 
again on the third day. 

35. Now James and John, the sons of Zebedee, accosted 
him, saying, il Master, it is our wish that thou grant to 
us, whatsoever we may ask." 

36. But he said to them, " What is it that ye wish me 
to grant to you ?" 

37. And they said, " Grant that we may sit, one on 
thy right hand, and one on thy left, in thy glory." 

38. But Jesus said to them, " Ye know not what ye 
ask : can ye drink of the cup of which I drink, and un- 
dergo the baptism which I undergo ?" 

39. They said to him, u We can." He said to them ; 
" Ye shall, indeed, drink of the cup, of which I drink, 
and undergo the baptism, which I undergo ; 

40. But to sit on my right hand, and on my left, it 
is not my office to give to you, but to those for whom it 
hath been prepared." 

41. And the ten hearing this, began to feel resentment 
against James and John. 

42. But Jesus calling them to him, said ; " Ye know 
that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their 
great men govern them with rigour. 

43. It shall not be so with you. But whosoever would 
become great among you, he must be your serving man, 



MARK. 181 

44. And he who would be the first among you, he must 
be your slave. 

45. For the son of man came, not to be served, but to 
serve, and to give his life a ransom for many." 

46. Then they came to Jericho. And as he left Jericho 
with his disciples and a great multitude, Bartimaeus the 
son of Timceus, the blind man, sate begging by the way 
side. 

47. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, 
he began to cry out and to say, " Jesus son of David have 
pity upon me." 

48. And many rebuked him, that he might hold his 
peace ; but he cried out much more, " Son of David, have 
pity upon me." 

49. And Jesus stopped, and ordered him to be called : 
and they called the blind man, saying : " Be of good 
heart ; rise ; he calleth thee." 

50. And he, throwing aside his cloak, started up, and 
came to Jesus. 

51. And Jesus said to him in answer; " What wouldst 
thou that I do for thee ?" 

52. But the blind man, said, " Rabboni, that I may see." 

53. And Jesus said to him, " Go, thy faith hath healed 
thee." And instantly he recovered his sight, and followed 
him along the road. 



CHAPTER XL 

ENTRY OF JESUS INTO JERUSALEM. 

1. And, as they approached Jerusalem, at Bethania, 
near to the mount of Olives, he sendeth two of his disci- 
ples; 



182 MARK. 

2. And sayeth to them, " Go into the village which is 
over against you, and, as soon as ye enter, ye will find a 
colt tied, on which never man sate ; loose and bring him. 

3. And, if any man shall ask you, what are ye about, 
ye shall say, the Lord hath need of him, and he will im- 
mediately let him come hither." 

4. And going they found the colt tied without, at a 
door in the meeting of two roads, and they loosed him. 

5. And some of the standers-by said, " What do ye 
mean by loosing the colt ?" 

6. But they answered as Jesus had commanded them, 
and they let them go. 

7. And they brought the colt to Jesus, and laid their 
cloaks upon him, and he sate upon him. 

8. And many strewed their cloaks in the way ; and 
others cut branches from the trees, and strewed them in 
the way. 

9. And both those who went before, and those who 
followed, cried aloud, " Hosanna : 

10. Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord : 
blessed be the kingdom that cometh, (the kingdom) of 
our father David. Hosanna in the highest." 

11. And he entered into Jerusalem and into the tem- 
ple, and having viewed everything, as the hour was late, 
he departed with the twelve to Bethania. 

12. And the next day, as they left Bethania, he felt 
hungry. 

13. And seeing at a distance a fig-tree bearing leaves, 
he went (to it), if haply he might find fruit on it : and 

(y. 13.) It was not yet the time of new figs. Why then did 
our Saviour look for fruit on the tree ? Because the figs which do 
not ripen in autumn, will often hang on the tree during winter, 
and ripen early in the spring. It was such fruit that he sought. 



MARK. 183 

when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves — for it 
was not yet the time of new figs. 

14. Hence Jesus took occasion to say to it, "May never 
man eat fruit of thee hereafter !" And his disciples 
heard him. 

15. And they came to Jerusalem; and Jesus, entering 
the temple, began to cast out the sellers and buyers in 
the temple, and overturned the tables of the money chan- 
gers, and the stalls of those who sold doves. 

16. And he would not suffer any one to carry a vessel 
through the temple. 

17. And he taught them in these words ; " Is it not 
written, my house shall be called a house of prayer for all 
nations, but ye have made it a den of thieves.'''' — Is. lvi. 7. ; 
Jer. vii. 11. 

18. And the scribes and high priests heard him ; and 
sought some means to destroy him. For they feared him ; 
because all the people were in amazement at his manner 
of teaching. 

19. And in the evening he departed out of the city; 

20. And in the morning as they passed they saw the 
fig-tree withered from the root. 

21. And Peter recollecting, said to him, " Rabbi, see 
the fig-tree which thou didst curse, is withered." 

22. And Jesus made answer to them ; " Have faith in 
God. 

23. For verily I say to you, that if a man say to this 
mountain, be thou lifted up and cast into the sea, without 
any wavering in his heart, but with faith that what he 
sayeth will come to pass, that which he sayeth shall come 
to pass ; 

24. Therefore I say to you, whatsoever things ye ask 
for in prayer, be confident that ye will receive them, and 
they shall be yours. 



184 MARK. 

25. And when ye stand up to pray, forgive, if ye have 
a complaint against another, that your father, who is in 
heaven, may also forgive you your trespasses. 

26. But if ye forgive not, neither will your father, who 
is in heaven, forgive you your trespasses." 

27. And they come again into Jerusalem : and, as he 
was walking in the temple, the high priests and the 
scribes and the elders come to him, 

28. And say to him, " By what authority dost thou 
these things, 1 ' and " Who gave thee the authority to do 
these things?" 

29. But Jesus made this answer to them, " I have also 
one question to ask you. Answer me, and I will tell 
you by what authority I do these things. 

30. The baptism given by John, was it from heaven 
or of men ? Answer me. 

31. And they reasoned with themselves thus, " If we 
say from heaven, he will say, why then did ye not believe 
him? 

32. But if we say of men, we fear the people," for 
all held of John that he was really a prophet. 

33. In answer therefore they say to Jesus, " We know 
not." And Jesus answered them, " Neither do I tell you, 
by what authority I do these things." 



CHAPTER XII. 

HIS DISCOURSES WITH HIS ENEMIES. 

1. And he began to speak to them in parables, thus; 
" A man planted a vineyard, and surrounded it with a 
fence, and dug in it a wine vault, and built a tower, and 
farmed it out to husbandmen, and went abroad. 



MARK. 185 

2. AncTat the proper time he sent a bondman to the 
husbandmen, to receive from the husbandmen of the pro- 
duce of the vineyard. 

3. But they seizing him, scourged him, and sent him 
away empty. 

4. And again he sent another bondman to them, and 
him they smote on the head, and sent back shamefully 
treated. 

5. And again he sent another, and him they put to 
death, and of many more some they scourged, and some 
they put to death. 

6. Still having one son, a beloved son, he sent him to 
them the last, saying, " They will shew respect to my son." 

7. But these husbandmen said one to another, " This is 
the heir ; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will 
be ours." 

8. And they seized him, and put him to death, and 
cast him out of the vineyard. 

9. What then will the lord of the vineyard do ? He 
will come and will destroy the husbandmen, and will 
give the vineyard to others. 

10. Have ye not read this scripture, the stone which 
the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the 
corner. 

1 1 . It hath been made so of the Lord, and is a wonder- 
ful thing in our eyes.''' — Ps. cxvii. 22. 

12. And they sought to apprehend him, but they feared 
the people, for they kuew that he had spoken this parable 
concerning themselves. But, leaving him, they departed, 

13. And sent to him some of the pharisees and Hero- 
dians, that they might ensnare him in discourse. 

14. Now these came and said to him : " Master, we 
know that thou art without deceit, and carest not for any 
one : for thou dost not respect the person of man, but 



186 MARK. 

teachest the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay 
taxes to Caesar, or we may not pay them ?" 

15. But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them ; 
" Why do ye make this trial of me ? Bring me a denarius, 
that I may look at it." 

16. And they brought one; when he said to them, 
" Whose image and inscription is this ?" They said to 
him, " Caesar's." 

17. But Jesus answered them: "Render therefore to 
Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the 
things which are God's." And they marvelled at him. 

18. And the Sadducees come to him, who say that 
there is no resurrection, and questioned him thus : 

19. " Moses made a law for us, that, if any man's bro- 
ther die, and leave a widow but no child, his brother 
shall take the widow, and raise up issue to his brother. 
— Deut. xxv. 3. 

20. Now there were seven brothers : and the first took 
a wife and died without issue. 

21. And the second took her and died, and neither did 
he leave issue, and the third in like manner. 

22. And the seven took her, but left no issue. Last 
of all the woman herself died. 

23. At the resurrection, therefore, when they will rise 
again, whose wife will she be ? for all seven had her to 
wife. 

24. And Jesus made answer, " Is not this the cause of 
your error, because ye understand not the Scriptures, nor 
the power of God r 

25. For when they rise from the dead, they marry not, 
nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels, who are 
in heaven. 

26. But with respect to the dead, that they do rise 
again, have ye not read in the book of Moses, how God 



MARK. 187 

spake to him in the bush, saying, / am the God of Abra- 
ham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. — Exod. 
iii. 6. 

27. He is not the God of the dead, but God of those 
that live. Ye are, therefore, in grievous error." 

28. And one of the scribes, who heard them disputing 
came up, and noticing that he had answered them well, 
asked him, " What is the first commandment of all ?" 

29. But Jesus answered him : " The first command- 



(v. 27.) The Jews, in general, believed that the dead would 
return on some future day to life, their souls being united again to 
the same body ; (2 Mac. vii. 9, et seq. xii. 43, 44 ; John xi. 24 ; 
Acts xxiii. 8 ; xxiv. 15) but among the Pharisees were some who 
confined this return to life to the just only, and gave to them, not 
the same bodies, but other bodies. See Jos. Ant. xviii. 1. Mera- 
fiaiveiv Se eiq ETEpov aCjfia rr/v t&v ayadoip ^xovr\v. De Bel. ii. 8. 
'Ek ir£pirpo7rriQ aiojviwv ayvoig ttoXlv avTEvoiKiCovrai. crw/uacrLy. De 
Bel. iii. 8. The Sadducees, on the contrary, rejected both opi- 
nions, maintaining that there would be no return to life at all : 
that death puts an end to the existence of man for ever. (v. 18 ; 
Acts xxiii. 6 ; Jos. Ant. xviii. 1 ; de Bel. ii. 8J Now the Eng- 
lish word resurrection, as we use it now, can apply only to the 
first of these opinions, whereas it is probable that the Hebrew word 
employed in this dispute between our Saviour and the Sadducees, 
and consequently its Greek representative avaorao-is, applied to 
both. Its obvious meaning would be, the revival or return to 
life. Admitting this, we should translate the question of the 
Sadducees {v. 23) in these words : At the revival, when they will 
live again, whose wife will she be ? And our Saviour's answer 
thus : When they live again, they marry not, &c. But with res- 
pect to the dead, that they do live again, have ye not read, &c. 
He is not the God of the dead, but of those that live. 

Whatever may be thought of the above, two things are plain : 
first, that the reasoning of our blessed Lord was perfectly satisfac- 
tory to the standers by. (Matt. xxii. 33, 34 ; Mark xii. 28 ; Luke 
xx. 39 J Secondly, that it is difficult to conceive how it could be 
so, if his chief object had been to prove the resurrection of the body 
from the grave. In that case, we must suppose that the narrative 
is imperfect, and that the reasoning of our Saviour was in refuta- 
tion of some unknown argument brought forward by his oppo- 
nents, but omitted by the evangelists. 



188 MARK. 

ment of all is this : Hear, Israel, the lord is thy God, 
the Lord is one God. 

30. And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy 
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and 
with all thy strength. — Dent. vi. 4, 5. That is the first 
commandment. 

31. And like to it is the second: Thou shalt love thy 
neighbour as thyself. — Lev. xix. 18. A greater command- 
ment than these there is not." 

32. And the scribe said to him : " Truly, master, thou 
hast answered well, that God is one, and besides him 
there is none other. 

33. And that to love him with the whole heart, and 
with the whole understanding, and with the whole soul, 
and with the whole strength, and to love one's neighbour 
as one's self, is more than all burnt offerings and sacri- 
fices." 

34. And Jesus seeing that he had answered wisely, 
said to him : " Thou art not far from the c kingdom of 
God.' " And thenceforth no one dared to put questions 
to him. 

35. And Jesus, as he was teaching in the Temple, took 
occasion to say ; " How do the scribes say that the Mes- 
siah is the son of David ? 

36. For David himself, inspired of the Holy Ghost, 
sayeth, The Lord said to my Lord, sit thou at my right 
hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. — Ps. cix. i. 

37. Therefore David himself calleth him his Lord. 
How then is he his son?" Now the common people 
heard him with pleasure; 

38. And he said to them, in the course of his teaching, 
" Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in robes, 
and to be saluted in the market-places, 



MARK. 189 

39. And to have the first seats in the synagogues, and 
the highest places at entertainments ; 

40. Men, who eat up the households of widows, under 
the pretence of long prayers. These shall receive a more 
plentiful punishment. 1 ' 

41. As Jesus was sitting opposite to the treasury, he 
observed how the people put money into the treasury. 
And many, who were rich, put in much : 

42. But a poor widow came, and put in two mites, that 
is, one farthing. 

43. And addressing his disciples, he said to them, 
" Verily I say to you, that this poor widow hath put into 
the treasury more than all the others. 

44. For all they, gave out of that of which they had 
more than enough ; but she, out of her very want, hath 
given all that she had, the whole of her livelihood. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE FORETOLD. 

1. Now as he was going out of the temple, one of his 
disciples said to him : " Master, look, what manner of 
stones ! what manner of buildings !" 

2. And Jesus said to him in answer : " Seest thou these 
great buildings ? There will not be left a stone upon a 
stone, that will not be disjointed." 

3. And as he was sitting on the mount of Olives, over 

(v. 44.) These contributions towards the expense of the building 
of the temple, were so great, through the zeal of the people, as 
almost to exceed belief. Jos. de Bel. v. 5. Pilate employed some 
of it to bring a stream of water to Jerusalem. The Jews deemed 
it a profanation, and a sedition was the consequence. Ant. Kvm, 3. 



190 MARK. 

against the temple, Peter, and James, and John, and 
Andrew, asked him apart : 

4. " Tell us when these things will be, and what will 
be the sign when all these things are about to be accom- 
plished. 1 ' 

5. And Jesus began to answer in this wise : " Take 
heed that no one deceive you. 

6. For many will come in my name, saying, ' I am he,' 
and will deceive many. 

7. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of 
wars, be not alarmed, for these things must be ; but the 
end is not yet. 

8. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom 
against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in sundry 
places, and famines. These things are the beginnings of 
the throes. 

9. But look ye to yourselves. For they will deliver 
you up to the courts ; and ye will be scourged in the 
synagogues, and ye will be arraigned before governors 
and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them. 

10. For it behoveth first that the good tidings be 
announced among all the nations. 

11. And when they shall lead you forth to deliver you 
up, trouble not yourselves with thinking beforehand what 
ye shall speak, but speak that which shall be given to 
you at that moment, for it will not be you that will speak, 
but the Holy Ghost. 

12. For the brother will give up to death his brother, 
and the father his child ; and the children will rise up 
against the parents, and will put them to death. 



(v. 4.) To be accomplished — jieWt] iravTa ravra crvvTeXelardai. 
These words fully explain the avvTikua m aaovog in the parallel 
passage in St Matthew, xxiv. 3. See the note there. For the 
explication of the following prophecy, see Matt. xxiv. 



MARK. 191 

13. And ye will be hated of all men for my name's 
sake. But he that endureth to the end, he shall be saved." 

14. " When, therefore, ye shall see the abomination of 
desolation standing* where it ought not" — let him who 
readeth understand — " then let those in Judea flee to the 
mountains ; 

15. And he that is on the house top, let him not come 
down into his house, nor go in to take anything out of 
his house ; 

16. And he that is in the field, let him not turn back 
to take away his clothes. 

17. And wo to the women who are with child, or who 
give suck in those days. 

18. And pray that these things happen not during the 
winter. 

19. For those will be days of distress, such as never 
was so great from the beginning of the creation, which 
God created, until now, and never will be. 

20. And unless the Lord should cut short those days, 
no flesh would be saved : but for the sake of the chosen, 
whom he hath chosen, he hath cut short those days. 

21. And then, if any man say to you, ' lo, here is the 
Messiah,' or c lo, he is there,' believe him not. 

22. For false Messiahs and false prophets will arise, and 
will shew forth signs and wonders, to draw astray, if it 
were possible, even the chosen ones. 

23. Beware therefore : behold I have told you all before- 
hand. 



(v. 14.) Standing where it ought not. This evangelist has 
substituted these words for on the holy ground, which were pro- 
bably the real words of our Saviour, as they are given by St. 
Matthew. 



192 MARK. 

24. Now in those days, after that distress, the sun will 
be darkened, and the moon will not give her light. 

25. And the stars of heaven will fall from (their places), 
and the powers which are in the heavens, will be shaken. 

26. And then it is that they will see the son of man 
coming in the clouds with great power and glory, 

27. And then he will send his messengers, and will 
gather into one place his chosen ones, from the four 
winds, from the extremity of the earth to the extremity 
of the heavens. 

28. Now from the fig-tree learn ye a parable. When 
its shoots are tender, and put forth leaves, ye know that 
summer is nigh. 

29. So ye, when ye see all these things happening, 
know that, (the time) is nigh, at (your) doors. 

30. Verily I say to you, that this generation will not 
have passed away, before all these things are done. 

31. The heaven and the earth will pass away, but my 
words will not pass away. 

32. But of that day or hour no one knoweth, neither 
the angels in heaven, nor the son, but the father. 

33. Beware, watch, and pray : for ye know not when 
the time may be. 

34. As a man about to travel, leaveth his family, and 
giveth to his slaves their powers, to each his proper work, 
and commandeth the porter to keep watch ; 

35. Watch ye, for ye know not when the lord of the 
household may come, at even, or at midnight, or at the 
crowing of the cock, or in the morning — 

36. Lest he come unexpectedly, and find you sleeping. 

37. Now, what I say to you, I say to all ; watch." 



MARK. 193 

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE LAST SUPPER, AND APPREHENSION OF JESUS. 

1. Now two days later was the feast of the passover, 
and of unleavened bread, and the chief priests and the 
scribes consulted by what contrivance they might get 
Jesus into their power, and put him to death. 

2. They said however, " Not during the festival, lest 
there should be a riot of the people." 

3. And, as he was in Bethania, in the house of Simon 
the leper, lying at table, there came a woman having a 
vial of balsam of spikenard of great value, and breaking 
the vial, she poured it upon his head. 

4. But some were sorely provoked within themselves, 
and said, " What use is there in this waste of the balsam ? 

5. This balsam might have been sold for more than 
three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor." 
And they murmured at her. 

6. But Jesus said to them, " Leave her alone. Why 
are ye troublesome to her ? She hath done me good ser- 
vice. 

7. Ye have the poor with you always, and ye can relieve 
them when ye will : but me ye have not always. 

8. She hath done what she could. She hath before- 
hand embalmed my body for burial. 

9. Verily I say to you, wheresoever these good tidings 



(v. 1.) Unleavened bread — to. a^vfia. This solemnity lasted 
seven days, on the first of which the passover was sacrificed, 
Exod. xii. 6, 18, 20. 

(v. 3.) See Matt. xxvi. 7. From the fact of the vessel being- 
broken, that the balsam might be poured on his head, I should 
infer that it was of glass, and that the small end of the pear was 
broken off. 



194 MARK. 

shall be preached in the whole world, there also what 
she hath done, will be told in memory of her/' 

10. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of the twelve, went 
to the chief priests, to betray him to them. 

11. And they were glad of the offer, and promised to 
give him money. He therefore sought an opportunity 
of betraying him. 

12. Now on the first day of unleavened bread, when 
they sacrificed the passover, his disciples say to him, 
" Where wilt thou that we go to prepare for thee to eat 
the passover ?" 

13. And he commissioneth two of his disciples, saying 
to them, " Go ye into the city, and a man will meet you 
carrying a pitcher of water: follow ye him. 

14. And wheresoever he may enter, say to the house- 
keeper, ' the master sayeth, where is the guest-room, in 
which I may eat the passover with my disciples.' 

15. And he will shew you an upper room large and 
furnished. There make ready for us. 1 ' 

16. And his disciples went, and came into the city, and 
found (all things) as he had told them. And they made 
ready the passover. 

17. Now in the evening he came with the twelve. 

18. And while they were lying at table and eating, 
Jesus said, " Verily I say to you, that one of you will 
betray me, one who is eating with me." 

{v. 15.) Upper room furnished — avwywv kcrpwpivov — coena- 
culum stratum. It is called avwywv, because it was raised higher 
than the floor of the court ; and said to be ecrpiopevm', because the 
couches were already covered with cloth or carpetting, for the 
accommodation of guests. 



MARK. 195 

19. And they began to be grieved, and to say to him 
one by one, " Is it I ? Is it I ?" 

20. And he said, " It is one of the twelve, who dippeth 
his hand with me in the dish. 

21. The son of man indeed goeth, as hath been writ- 
ten concerning him : but wo to that man by whom the 
son of man is betrayed : well were it for that man if he 
had never been born." 

22. And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, 
and blessed and brake it, and gave it to them, saying, 
" Take, eat, this is my body." 

23. Then taking the cup, and giving thanks, he gave 
it to them, and they all drank of it. 

24. And he said to them, "This is my blood, the 
(blood) of the new covenant, the (blood) shed for many. 

25. Verily I say to you, that henceforth I shall not 
drink of the produce of the vine, till that day when I 
drink it new in ' the kingdom of God/ ' 

26. Now, after a hymn, they went to the mountain of 
Olives. 

27. Then Jesus sayeth to them ; " Ye will all find me 
a stumbling-block to you this night : for it is written, i~ 

{v. 22.) This is my body. Dr. Home, in his Introduction to 
the Critical Study and Knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures, 
informs us, that in the Syriac language, used by our Saviour on 
this occasion, there is no word which expresses to signify, repre- 
sent, or denote ; and that therefore, though he meant to say, this 
represents my body, he was obliged to say, this is my body, and 
the same of the wine. This discovery, though not directly ori- 
ginal, was hailed with transport by a crowd of controvertists, and 
maintained its place in the work through several editions ; but 
has recently disappeared, since Dr. Wiseman has shewn that the 
Syriac language possessed more than thirty words, by any one of 
which our Saviour might have said that the bread was a type or 
representation of his body, if such had been his meaning. Wise- 
man, Horce Syriacce, i. 10-60. 

o 2 



196 MARK. 

will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 
— Zach. viii. 7. 

28. But after my rising again, I will go before yon 
into Galilee." 

29. Then Peter said : " Though all should find thee a 
stumbling-block, yet not I." 

30. But Jesus said to him ; " Verily I say to thee, that 
this very day, during the present night, before the second 
crowing of the cock, thou wilt disown me thrice." 

31. But he with greater vehemence declared : " Even 
if it follow that I must die with thee, never will I disown 
thee." And as much said they all. 

32. And they come to the place, the name of which is 
Gethsemane, and he sayeth to his disciples, " Sit ye here, 
while I pray." 

33. And he taketh Peter, and James, and John, with 
him, and he became appalled, and in sore distress. 

3d. And he said to them, " My soul is anguished even 
unto death : tarry here, and keep watch." 

35. And going a little forward, he fell on the ground, 
and prayed that if it were possible, (the trial of) that 
hour might pass from him, 

36. And he said ; " Abba, father, all things are possi- 
ble to thee : remove this cup from me : but not what I 
will, but what thou." 

37. Then he cometh, and findeth them asleep. And 
he sayeth to Peter, "Simon, dost thou sleep? Couldst 
thou not watch during one hour ? 

[v. 32.) Appalled — EK$afififi<jdai. 

{v. 33.) Why to keep watch ? Against the expected arrival of 
Judas and the others to apprehend him. 

(v. 37.) With propriety this is addressed to Peter, who, after 
his professions of being ready to die with him, did not even watcli 
for his safety. 



MARK. 1 97 

38. Watch ye and pray, that ye yield not to temptation. 
The spirit may be willing, but the flesh is weak." 

39. And he went a second time and prayed, repeating 
the same words. 

40. And on his return he found them again asleep, for 
their eyes were overpowered, and they knew not what 
answer to make to him. 

41. And he came a third time, and said to them, 
" Sleep on now and take your rest — I have done — The 
hour is come. Behold the son of man is betrayed into 
the hands of sinners. 

42. Arise, let us go ; lo, the traitor is at hand." 

43. And while he was yet speaking, behold, Judas, one 
of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude, with 
swords and clubs, from the high priests, and scribes, and 
elders. 

44. And he that betrayed him, had given them a sign, 
saying, "Whomsoever I shall kiss, he is the man, Lay 
hold of him, and lead him away cautiously." 

45. And, when he came up, immediately he accosted 
him, saying, " Hail Rabbi," and kissed him. 

46. And they laid their hands on him, and held him 
fast. 

47. But one of the standers by drawing his sword, 
smote a bondman of the high priest, and cut off his ear. 



{v. 41.) Sleep on. That is : " You may sleep now, for it is too 
late to watch. Lo, the traitor is here." 

(v. 44.) The treason of Judas consisted in this, that he joined 
the enemies of his master, conducted them to a place where they 
might apprehend him at night and without any resistance on the 
part of the people, and pointed him out from the eleven to the 
officers, by kissing him as a friend. 

[v. 47.) One of the standers by. Peter, as we learn from John 
xviii. 10. 



198 MARK. 

48. And Jesus took occasion to say to them ; " Have 
ye come with swords and clubs to take me as if I were a 
robber ? 

49. Day by day I was among you teaching in the tem- 
ple, and ye did not lay hold of me. But, (this hath hap- 
pened), that the scriptures may be fulfilled." 

50. Then all his disciples left him, and fled away. 

51. But one young man followed him, having a linen 
cloth wrapped round his naked body. And they seized 
on him. 

52. But he, leaving the cloth, fled from them naked. 

53. And they brought Jesus to the high priest : and 
all the priests, and scribes, and elders, flock together to 
him. 

54. But Peter followed him at a distance, even into 
the court of the high priest, and sate down with the 
officers at the fire, and warmed himself. 

55. Then the high priests and all the sanhedrin sought 
out testimony against Jesus, that they might put him to 
death. Yet they found none. 

56. For though many bare false testimony against him, 
their depositions were not sufficient. 

57. Then some rising up, bare false testimony against 
him, saying, 

{v. 51.) It was dark and late, probably near midnight. The 
young man may have risen from sleep, and throwing the cloth 
round him, have followed through curiosity. 

(v. 54.) The reader will recollect the preceding description of 
the Jewish buildings. The officers and servants were in the court, 
round a fire kindled in the open air ; Jesus, with his judges and 
accusers, within the colonnade surrounding the court, or in some 
room opening into it. 

{v. 56, 59.) Sufficient— ioai— convenientia. There is no rea- 
son to suppose that their testimony was contradictory. It was 
irrelevant or inconclusive, as it was not sufficient to sustain the 



MARK. 199 

58. " We heard him say, I will demolish this sanctuary 
made with the hand, and in three days will huild another 
not made with the hand." 

59. Still, after this, their depositions did not suffice. 

60. And the high priest rising in the midst, asked him, 
saying ; " Dost thou make no answer to what these men 
depose against thee ?" 

61. But he was silent, and made no answer. Again 
the high priest interrogated him in these words ; " Art 
thou the Messiah, the son of the blessed God ?" 

62. But Jesus said, " I am. Moreover ye shall see the 
son of man sitting at the right hand of the Almighty 
and coming on the clouds of heaven." 

63. Then the high priest, rending his garment, said ; 
" What farther need have we of witnesses ? 

64. Ye have heard the blasphemy. What is your 
opinion ?" And they all adjudged him to be worthy of 
death. 

65. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his 
face, and buffet him, and say to him, " Reveal (the 
striker)." And the officers gave him blows on the cheeks 
with their hands. 

66. Now, while Peter was below in the court, one of 
the maidens of the high priest came in, 

67. And seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at 
him, and said ; " Thou also wast with Jesus, the Nazarite. 1 ' 

charge of blasphemy, or to fix on our Saviour any other offence 
worthy of death. " They found none." Matt. xxvi. 60 ; supra, 
55. 

(v. 62.) J am. Here we learn the meaning of the Hebrew 
idiom, thou hast said it, used in this place by St. Matthew. 
Mark, writing for foreigners, employed a phrase of the same 
import, but more intelligible to his readers. 

{v. 65.) Reveal. See Matt. xxvi. 68. 



200 MARK. 

68. But he denied it, saying, " I neither know (him) nor 
do I understand what thou meanest." And he went out 
into the porch, and the cock crowed. 

69. But the maiden saw him again, and began to say 
to the standers by, " This man is one of them." 

70. And he denied it again. But a little after, the 
standers by said to Peter again ; " Certainly thou art one 
of them. For thou art a Galilean." 

71 . But he began to swear and curse, saying, " I know 
not the man whom ye talk of." 

72. And immediately the cock crowed a second time, 
and Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said to 
him ; before the second crowing of the cock, thou wilt dis- 
own me thrice. And he began to weep. 



CHAPTER XV. 



THE CRUCIFIXION. 



1. And forthwith in the morning, the high priests 
having consulted the elders and scribes and the whole 
sanhedrin, bound Jesus, and led him away, and delivered 
him to Pilate. 



(v. 72.) Began to weep — £7ri(3a\wy e^Xaie— coepit flere. I have 
followed the Latin. In die present Greek, the parliciple tTnfiaXujv 
has been the torment of translators. Out of a multitude of con- 
jectures, the least improbable are, that it is to be rendered either 
canting his mind on the matter, or canting his cloak over his head. 

[v. 1.) Pilate. From the removal of Archclaus, about the year 
6 of the Christian era, Judea had been governed by Roman offi- 
cers, with the title of procurators, or eTrirpoTroi. The imperial 
procurator was always of the equestrian order. His proper duty 
was to receive and administer the imperial revenue, and to act as 
judge in suits at law ; as we learn from Dio, with respect to Luci- 
lias C'apito, procurator of Asia Minor : riic veyofuofiivaQ wpovocug 



MARK. 201 

2. And Pilate asked him, " Art thou the king- of the 
Jews ?" But he made answer, " I am." 

3. And the high priests brought many charges against 
him. 

4. And Pilate interrogated him again, saying, " Dost 
thou make no answer ? See, of what great things they 
accuse thee." 

5. Still Jesus made no answer, so that Pilate wondered. 

6. But during the festival he had to discharge to them 
one of the prisoners, whomsoever they asked for. 

7. Now there was a man called Barabbas, a prisoner 
with his fellow rioters, who had killed a man in a riot. 

8. And, when the people had gone up (to the palace), 
they began to petition for that which he was wont to do 
for them. 

9. And Pilate said in reply ; " Would ye that I dis- 
charge to you the king of the Jews ?" 

10. For he knew that it was through envy that the 
high priests had delivered him up. 

11. But the high priests stirred up the people (to ask) 
that he should rather discharge Barabbas. 

12. And Pilate again made answer ; " What then 
shall I do with him whom ye call king of the Jews ?" 

13. But they again cried out, " Crucify him." 

14. And Pilate said, " But what evil hath he done ?" 
But they cried out the more, " Crucify him." 



efcXeyEiP Kal Kept tCjv Ziatyopwv ev re rfj ayopq. teal Kara rovg vofiag 
e^ias roiQ idiwrais ^LKa^eadat. But circumstances often required 
that he should be armed with all the power of the president of a 
province, in which case he was said to act vice prasidis. This 
was the case in Judea, the natives of which bore with impatience 
the Roman yoke. Hence Coponius, the first procurator after the 
removal of Archelaus, was invested with power over all, ry enl 
traaiv efeaiq, even to life and death, f.ie\pi rod Kreivtiv. Jos. Ant. 
xviii. 1 ; de Bel. ii. 11. Pilate was the fourth of these procurators 
after Coponius, and the second during the reign of Tiberius. 



202 MARK. 

15. Pilate therefore, wishing to satisfy the people, 
discharged Barahbas to them, and, having ordered Jesus 
to be scourged, delivered him up to be crucified. 

16. Now the soldiers conducted him within the hall — 
which is the palace, — and call together the whole com- 
pany. 

17. And they put a purple cloak on him, and platting 
a wreath of thorns, they crown him. 

18. And they began to salute him, " Hail, king of the 
Jews." 

19. And they smote him on the head with a wand, and 
spat on him, and bending the knee, they worshipped 
him. 

20. And when they had done mocking him, they took 
off the purple cloak, and put on him his own garments, 
and led him out to crucify him. 

21. And a certain man, who was coming from his farm, 
happening to pass by, Simon the Cyrenean, the father of 
Alexander and Rufus, him they seized upon, that he 
might carry his cross. 

22. And they lead him to the place of Golgotha, which 
is rendered the place of skulls. 

23. And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh to 
drink, but he accepted it not. 

24. And having fixed him to the cross, they parted his 
garments, casting lots for them, what each one should have. 



{v. 15.) Scourged. It was the Roman custom to scourge before 
crucifixion : verberati crucibus affixi ; (Liv. xxxiv .) ^aa-iyovfxevoi 
avacTavpovvTo. (Jos. de Bel. v. 32 J 

(v. 21.) It is probable, that Alexander and Rufus were known 
to those for whom the evangelist wrote. 

(v. 25.) See John xix. 14, note. 



MARK. 203 

25. Now it was (during) the third hour, when they 
fixed him to the cross. 

26.£And the cause of his condemnation was written 
above : the king of the jews. 

27. And with him they crucify two thieves, one on his 
right hand and one on his left. 

28. And the scripture was accomplished, which sayeth ; 
and he was reckoned among malefactors. — Is. liii. 12. 

29. Then the people passing by, made sport of him, 
shaking their heads, and saying, " Ah, thou destroyer of 
the sanctuary, and rebuild er of it in three days ! 

30. Save thyself, and come down from the cross." 

31. In the same manner the high priests, scoffing 
among themselves with the scribes, said : " He hath saved 
others : cannot he save himself? 

32. Let the Messiah, the king of Israel, descend now 
from the cross, that we may see and believe." Even 
those that were crucified with him upbraided him. 

33. Now at the sixth hour there was darkness over 
the whole land till the ninth hour. 

34. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud 
voice, " Eloi, Eloi, lama, sabacthani ?" Which is ren- 
dered, u My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" 

35. But some of those who stood by, and heard him, 
said, " Lo ! he calleth Elias." 

36. And one ran, soaked a sponge in vinegar, and 
putting it at the end of a wand, presented it to him 
to drink, saying, " Hold, let us see whether Elias will 
come to take him down." 



{v. 34.) Why—EiQ ri— ut quid. The author of the Latin ver- 
sion must have read tVa ri. 



204 MARK. 

37. But Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed 
his last. 

38. And the veil of the sanctuary was rent in twain 
from the top to the bottom. 

39. But the centurion who stood over against him, 
seeing that he expired with such a cry, said, " Verily this 
man was son of God." 

40. There were also certain women looking on from 
afar, among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the 
mother of James the younger, and of Joseph and Salome, 

41. Who followed him when he was in Galilee, and 
ministered to him ; as well as many others that had 
come up with him to Jerusalem. 

42. And as it was growing late, (for it was the day of 
preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath.) 

43. Joseph of Arimathea, a respectable senator, who 
was also one ' waiting for the kingdom of God,' came, 
and going boldly in to Pilate, craved the body of Jesus. 

44. But Pilate wondered that he should be already 
dead : and sending for the centurion, inquired whether 
he had been dead any time. 

45. And having learned so from the centurion, he 
granted the body to Joseph. 

46. But Joseph, having bought linen, and taken him 
down, wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepul- 
chre hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the 
entrance of the sepulchre. 

47. Now Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of 
Joseph, took notice, where he was laid. 



MARK. 205 

CHAPTER XVI. 

THE RESURRECTION. 

1. And, when the sabbath was over ; Mary Magdalene, 
and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spi- 
ces, that they might go and embalm Jesus. 

2. And very early in the morning, on the first day of 
the week, they come to the sepulchre about sunrise. 

3. And they said one to the other : " Who will roll 
back the stone for us from the entrance of the sepulchre ?" 

4. But when they looked, they saw that the stone was 
rolled away. (For it was very large.) 

5. And entering the sepulchre, they saw a young man 
seated on the right hand, and clothed in a white robe ; 
and they were alarmed. 

6. But he said to them : " Be not alarmed. Ye seek 
Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified : he is risen ; he is not 
here. Behold the place where they laid him. 

7. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, that he goeth 
before you into Galilee : there ye will see him, as he told 
you." (xiv. <28) 

8. But they, as soon as they came out, ran away from 
the sepulchre : for terror and astonishment had seized 



(v. 1.) Bought spices. We learn from St. John, that about 
one hundred pounds' weight of a mixture of aloes and myrrh had 
already been employed in the sepulture of Jesus, by Joseph and 
Nicodemus. John xix. 39. It appears to have been the custom 
to deposit the body in a bed of such preparations. See 2 Chron. 
xvi. 14. In addition, whether it was that they were ignorant of 
what had passed within the sepulchre, or knew that all the accus- 
tomed rites had not been performed, or were merely desirous of 
leaving a testimonial of their veneration for their master, the devout 
women bought more spices, as we learn from this verse. At the 
funeral of Herod, five hundred men carried spices, to be put in the 
tomb ; (Jos. de Bello, i. 33 ; Ant. xvii. 8) a proof of the high 
esteem in which this custom was held. 



206 MARK. 

them. And they said nothing to any one, they were so 
affrighted. 

9. But he, being risen in the morning of the first day 
in the week, appeared in the first place to Mary Magda- 
lene, out of whom he had cast seven fiends. 

10. She went, and related it to those who had been his 
companions, who were lamenting and weeping. 

11. But they, when they heard that he was living, and 
had been seen by her, believed it not. 

12. After that he appeared in a different form to two 
of them, as they were travelling on foot into the country. 

13. And they came and related it to the rest : but they 
gave not credit even to them. 

14. At last he appeared to the eleven themselves, as 
they lay at table : and upbraided them with their 
unbelief and perverseness, in not believing those who 
had seen him after his resurrection. 

15. And he said to them : " Go ye unto the whole 
world ; announce the good tidings to the whole creation. 

16. Whosoever believeth and is baptized, shall be 
saved ; but he that will not believe, shall be condemned. 

17. And these signs shall follow those that believe : 
in my name they shall cast out fiends ; they shall speak 
in tongues new (to them.) 

18. They shall handle serpents ; if they drink anything 
deadly, it shall do them no evil ; and they shall lay their 
hands on the sick, who shall recover." 

19. Now the Lord, after he had conversed with them, 



(??. 15.) To the whole creation — naffy rrj ktictel. That is, the 
whole rational creation ; as is proved by the corresponding passage 
in Matt, xxviii. 19. See also Col. i. 22. 



MARK. 207 

was taken up into heaven, and seated on the right hand 
of God. 

20. But they departed, and announced (the good 
tidings) in all places, the Lord working with them, and 
confirming the word by the wonders which followed it. 



THE 

HOLY GOSPEL 



ACCORDING TO 



LUKE 



The most ancient Christian writers who have 
treated on the subject, concur in assigning the 
composition of this gospel to Luke, a physician 
by profession, and the beloved companion and 
fellow labourer of St. Paul. He is frequently 
mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, and in the 
epistles to the Colossians, to Timothy, and to 
Philemon. 



CHAPTER I. 

THE NATIVITY OF THE BAPTIST: THE ANNUNCIATION: 
THE CANTICLE OF ZACHARY. 

1. Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to put to- 
gether a narrative of the things accomplished among us, 

2. Accordingly as hath been delivered to us by those 
who were from the first eye-witnesses, and ministers of 
the word ; 

3. It hath seemed good to me also, having traced 
everything with exactitude from the beginning, to write 
(the same) in due order to thee, most excellent Theophilus, 



(v. 3.) Most excellent Theophilus — Kpariffre 0£o0t\e — optime 
Theophile. From the addition of this epithet, it would seem that 
Theophilus was a person of distinction, probably the chief magis- 
trate in some of the cities of lesser Asia, where we know that St. 



210 LUKE. 

4. That thou mayest know the certainty of those mat- 
ters, in which thou hast been instructed. 

5. There was in the days of Herod, king of Judea, a 
certain priest, by name Zachary, of the course of Abia; 
and his wife by name Elizabeth, was of the daughters of 
Aaron. 

6. And they were both righteous before God, walking 
in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord 
without reproof. 

7. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was bar- 
ren, and both were advanced in age. 

8. Now it happened that when he was ministering in 
the order of his course before God, 

Luke preached the gospel. It follows from this verse and the next, 
that he was a convert to Christianity, and that the evangelist wrote 
the work for his use, " that he might know the certainty of those 
matters in which he had been instructed." 

This short preface informs us, that the first Christians were 
accustomed to commit to writing those particulars of the life and 
doctrines of our Saviour, that were communicated to them by the 
apostles in their instructions ; and that it was the intention of St. 
Luke to do the same, but in a fuller manner, " tracing every thing 
from the beginning." By comparing his narrative with those of 
St. Matthew and St. Mark, we shall see reason to conclude that 
he wrote with their gospels lying before him. But why then did 
he not recommend them to Theophilus, and procure a copy of one 
or other for him ? It may be answered, that probably the gospel 
of St. Matthew was still in the original Hebrew, and that of St. 
Mark, though written in the Greek language, was little more than 
an abridgment of the former. Neither of them, moreover, was 
calculated to answer his object completely — that is, " to shew to 
Theophilus the certainty of those things in which he had been 
instructed," because, as we may conclude from the execution of 
St. Luke's plan, he had been instructed in many things which 
were not to be found in either of them. Hence this gospel begins 
with the supernatural announcement of the future birth of the 
baptist, proceeds to detail several interesting facts connected with 
the birth and childhood of our Saviour, and records some mira- 
cles, and several important parables, all of which things are new 
matter, as far as regards the gospels of St. Matthew and St. Mark. 



LUKE. 211 

9. According to the custom of the priesthood, {Ex. xxx. 
7; Lev. xvi. 17) it fell to his lot to enter the sanctuary 
for the purpose of burning incense. 

10. And the whole body of the people remained pray- 
ing without during the time of incense. 

11. Now there appeared to him an angel of the Lord 
standing on the right hand of the altar of incense. 

12. And Zachary was alarmed at the sight, and fear 
fell upon him. 

13. But the angel said to him ; " Fear not, Zachary, 
for thy prayer hath been heard. Thy wife Elizabeth 
shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 

14. And to thee there shall be joy and gladness, and 
many shall rejoice at his birth. 

15. For he will be great before the Lord ; no wine nor 
intoxicating liquor will he drink ; but he will be filled 
with the holy Ghost even from the womb of his mother. 

16. And many of the children of Israel will he turn 
to the Lord their God. 

17. And he will go before him in the spirit and might 
of Elias, to turn back the hearts of the fathers towards their 
children, [Mai. iv. 6) and the disobedient ones to the wis- 
dom of the righteous ; to make ready for the Lord a pre- 
pared people." 

18. And Zachary said to the angel, " By what (sign) 
shall I know this ? For I am an old man, and my wife 
is advanced in age." 

(v. 17.) And the disobedient. That is, ' the disobedient chil- 
dren to the wisdom of their righteous fathers.' If the present 
Hebrew text be genuine, the heart of the children to their fathers, 
it will follow that the evangelist has given us the interpretation of 
the prophecy for the prophecy itself. But it appears that there 
was a different reading, if not more than one, of the Hebrew for- 
merly ; for in the Septuagint we find it rendered, the heart of a 
man to his neighbour. 

P'2 



212 LUKE. 

19. And the angel said in answer, " I am Gabriel 
who stand in the presence of God, and have been sent to 
speak to thee, and to announce to thee these good tidings. 

20. Now attend : thou shalt be dumb and unable to 
speak, to the day when these things shall come to pass, 
in return for thy unbelief of my words, which will be ful- 
filled in due season." 

21. Now the people waited for Zachary, and wondered 
at his long stay in the sanctuary. 

22. But when he came out, he could not speak to them ; 
and they understood that he had seen a vision in the 
sanctuary ; and he made signs to them and remained 
speechless. 

23. And it happened that, when the days of his minis- 
try were accomplished, he returned home. 

24. And some time afterwards, Elizabeth, his wife, con- 
ceived ; and she kept herself in retirement for five months, 
saying ; 

25 " Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in these days, 
in which he hath looked down on me and delivered me 
from my reproach among men." 

26. But in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent 
of God into that city of Galilee, which is called Nazareth, 

27. To a virgin betrothed to a man called Joseph of 
the house of David ; and the name of the virgin was Mary. 

28. And the angel going in to her, said ; " Hail, thou 
favoured (of God), the Lord is with thee : blessed art 
thou among women." 

(v. 23.) It happened, or came to pass, is a very favourite phrase 
with this evangelist. It occurs times without number. 

[v. 28.) Favoured of God — Kty^api-wjdtvr] — gratia plena. These 
words are explained by the angel himself, v. 30 : " thouhast found 
favour (\apiv, gratiam) with God." 



LUKE. 213 

29. But she was troubled at his presence and his words, 
and debated with herself, what could be the meaning of 
this salutation. 

30. And the angel said to her ; " Fear not, Mary. For 
thou hast found favour with God ; 

31. For, lo ! thou wilt conceive in thy womb, and wilt 
bear a son, and wilt call him by the name of Jesus. 

32. He will be great, and will be called the son of the 
Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne 
of his father David. 

33. And he will reign over the house of Jacob for the 
ages to come, and of his reign there will be no end." 

34. Mary said to the angel ; " How can that be, since 
I have no knowledge of man ?" 

35. But the angel made answer ; " The holy Ghost 
will descend upon thee, and the power of the Most High 
will overshadow thee, and therefore the holy one, born 
(of thee) will be called the son of God. 

36. And, behold, Elizabeth thy kinswoman, even she 
hath conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth 
month with her who was called barren. 

37. For nothing is impossible with God." 

38. And Mary said : " Behold the handmaid of the 
Lord : be it done to me, according to thy word." And 
the angel departed from her. 

39. And then Mary, leaving home, travelled with haste 
into the hilly country, to a town of Juda ; 

40. And she entered the house of Zachary, and saluted 
Elizabeth. 

(v. 36.) Who was called barren. It is plain that, in this pas- 
sage, to be called means to be. The reader will observe that this 
same Hebraism frequently occurs in this evangelist, (and occa- 
sionally in the others) particularly in v. 31, 34. 



214 LUKE. 

41. And it came to pass that, as Elizabeth heard the 
salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and 
Elizabeth was filled with the holy Ghost. 

42. And she exclaimed with a loud voice, saying • 
" Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit 
of thy womb. 

43. But whence is this (honour) to me, that the mother 
of my Lord should visit me ? 

44. For lo ! at the sound of thy salutation in my ears, 
the babe leaped through joy in my womb. 

45. And blessed art thou, who hast believed, because 
the things said to thee from the Lord, will be accom- 
plished." 

46. And Mary said : " My soul magnifieth the Lord, 

47. And my spirit rejoiceth in God my saviour. 

48. For he hath looked down on the lowliness of his 
handmaid; for, behold henceforth, all generations will 
pronounce me blessed. 

49. For the mighty one hath done wonders for me ; 
and hallowed is his name. 

50. And his mercy endureth to generations of genera- 
tions towards those who fear him. 

51. He hath displayed the power of his arm, he hath 
scattered the arrogant in the thoughts of their hearts. 

52. He hath pulled down the mighty from their thrones, 
and the lowly he hath lifted on high. 

53. The hungry he hath filled with good things, and 
the rich he hath sent away in want. 

{v. 41.) She was filled with the Holy Ghost, who revealed to 
her the mysterious pregnancy of Mary. 

(v. 45.) In this verse, Elizabeth, while she praises Mary for 
having believed the words of the angel, seems to allude to the 
punishment of her own husband for his unbelief. In the Greek, 
the verb is in the third person. 



LUKE. 215 

54. He hath taken into favour his servant Israel, and, 
according to his promise to our fathers, 

55. He hath remembered mercy to Abraham and to his 
seed for ever." 

56. And Mary remained with her about three months, 
and returned to her own home. 

57. Now the time for Elizabeth's delivery was accom- 
plished, and she brought forth a son. 

58. And her neighbours and kinsfolk heard that the 
Lord had displayed his mercy towards her, and they 
rejoiced with her. 

59. Now it happened that on the eighth day, when 
they came to circumcise the child, they called him by the 
name of his father, Zachary. 

60. But his mother interfered, saying, " No : he shall 
be called John." 

61. And they said to her, " But there is no one among 
thy kindred called by that name." 

62. They therefore made signs to his father, what he 
would have him called. 

63. And asking for a table book, he wrote these words ; 
John is his name. And they all marvelled. 

64. And his mouth was opened immediately and his 
tongue ; and he spake and blessed God. 

65. And fear fell upon all their neighbours ; and 
throughout the hilly country of Judea all these things 
became the subject of discourse. 

66. And all who heard of them, laid them up in their 
hearts, saying, " What then will this child prove ? For 
the hand of the Lord was with him." 

67. Now his father Zachary was filled with the holy 
Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 



216 LUKE. 

68. " Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath 
visited and prepared a means of redemption for his people, 

69. And hath raised up a horn of deliverance for us in 
the house of David his servant, 

70. (As he spake by the mouth of his holy ones, the 
prophets that ever were :) 

71. Deliverance from our enemies, and from the hands 
of all that hate us, 

72. In fulfilment of his mercy to our fathers, and re- 
membrance of his holy covenant ; 

73. The oath which he sware to Abraham our father, 
that he would grant to us, 

74. That we should be rescued out of the hands of our 
enemies, and should serve him without fear, 

75. In holiness and righteousness before him all the 
days of our lives. 

76. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the 
Most High : for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, 
to prepare his way, 

77. That the knowledge of salvation may be imparted 
to his people in the remission of their sins, 

78. Through the tender mercies of our God, who hath 
visited us with a light from on high, 

79. To illumine those that sate in the darkness and 
shade of death, to direct our feet into the path of peace." 

80. And the child grew up, and improved in spirit : 
and he remained in the waste country, till the day of 
his manifestation to Israel. 

(v. 69.) This and the subsequent verses must refer to the child 
of Mary, for Zachary was not of the house of David. 

(v. 76.) Here he apostrophizes his own son. 



LUKE. 217 



CHAPTER II. 

THE BIRTH OF CHRIST : THE CIRCUMCISION : THE 
PURIFICATION. 

1. It came to pass in those days, that an order was 
issued by Augustus Csesar for the enrolment of all the 
land. 

2. (This was the first enrolment, Cyrenius being gover- 
nor of Syria.) 

{v. 1.) The land — ij biKsfXFvtj — orbis. The eastern writers, in 
speaking of kingdoms and empires, often use language which to 
us must appear extravagant. Cyrus, in his edict respecting the 
Jews, claims possession of all the kingdoms of the earth. Esd. i. 2. 
In Acts ii. 5, we are told that there dwelt at Jerusalem Jews from 
every nation under heaven. St. Paul (Col. i. 6) describes the 
gospel as known in the whole world, but little more than twenty 
years after our Saviour's death. In like manner, H otKafxivr], 
though in its widest signification it means the inhabited portion of 
the globe, is often restricted, in the Scripture, to a particular empire 
or country ; as to that of Babylon, Is. xiii. o, 11, xiv. 17 ; of Syria, 
Is. xxiv. 4 ; of Rome, Acts xi. 28 ; and in all probability to the 
country of Judea, Luke xxi. 26. As there is no mention of any 
universal enrolment at this period in profane history, we must 
restrict it to the kingdom of Herod, and may fix it with some pro- 
bability to the latter part of his reign, when, as we learn from 
Josephus, (Ant. xvi. 10J Augustus treated him, not as a king, but 
as a subject. Those who cannot persuade themselves that so 
small a country as Judea could ever be termed rj oiKHnivn, may 
suppose that the evangelist adopts the language of the Jews at that 
period, who probably believed that the same regulation was extended 
to all the provinces of the empire. 

(v. 2.) This ivas the Jirst enrolment. According to the Greek 
text, it was made ivhilst Cyrenius was president of Syria — lyivero 
■qyefiovevovToc rrjs Ivpiag Kvprjvia : according to the Latin, it was 
made by Cyrenius, the president of Syria— a prsesidae Syriae 
Cyrenio. Now, though we know from Josephus that Cyrenius, 
whilst he was governor of Syria, made a census or enrolment in 
Judea, yet he was not governor till the expulsion of Archelaus, 
the son of Herod, from Judea; and consequently the census which 
he then made, must have taken place more than ten years after the 
time assigned in this passage by the evangelist. To solve the 



218 LUKE. 

3. And people went to be enrolled, each one to his own 
town. 



difficulty, several different versions of the Greek text have been 
suggested, all of them deserving the praise of ingenuity, but none 
of them satisfactory ; because it is plain that such versions would 
never have entered into the mind of any man, had it not been for 
the purpose of saving the credit of the evangelist. But that is 
unnecessary. As a contemporary writer only, he is certainly as 
deserving of belief as Josephus : that he was acquainted with the 
census mentioned by that historian, appears from his allusion to 
the insurrection which it provoked, in Acts v. 36 ; and that he 
speaks here of a different and previous census, is evident from the 
epithet irp^rrj, or first, to distinguish it from a second. But how 
then could that first census have been made by or under Cyrenius, 
in quality of president of Syria ? My opinion is, that the present 
is not the genuine reading, and that for the following reasons : 
The most ancient of the Christian writers by whom the subject is 
noticed, is Justin Martyr, who tells us that he wrote one hundred 
and fifty years after the birth of Christ ; (Apol. ii. p. 83j that 
Christ was born during the first census made under Cyrenius ; 
(Dial, cum Tryph. p. 303j and that Cyrenius was then the first 
Roman procurator in Judea, rib Ifxeripio ev Isdaiq. Tpoiru yevo^xivn 
kiri-poim. (Ap. ii. p. 75.) Now it is hardly credible that Justin, 
with his profound respect for the Scripture, would have described 
Cyrenius as only procurator of Judea, if he had read, in his copy 
of the evangelist, that Cyrenius was, at that period, the president 
of Syria, and consequently not procurator, but a superior officer to 
the procurator of Judea. Of the Latins, the most ancient writer 
that notices the subject is Tevtullian, before the close of the second 
century. He tells us, that the original document of the census 
was still extant in the archives at Rome : " decensu Augusti, quern 
testem fidelissimum dominicae nativitatis Romana archiva custo- 
diunt." (Adv. Mar. iv. 4 17 J But then he says that this census 
was made, not by Cyrenius, but by Sentius Saturninus : " census 
constat actos sub Augusto nunc in Judaea per Sentium Satur- 
ninum." (Ibid. 433 J Is it probable that the person who wrote 
this, could have read, in his copy of the Scriptures, that it was 
made, not by Saturninus, but by Cyrenius, the president of Syria ? 
The office of president, it is well known, was at that period held by 
Saturninus himself. It would be the duty of that officer to trans- 
mit the order for the enrolment to the procurator, and we may 
therefore believe, on the authority of Justin, that Cyrenius was 
the procurator employed by Saturninus in that capacity. On this 
account, I am inclined to think that the original text bore nothing 
more than that this was ttie first enrolment. The addition, eye- 



LUKE. 219 

4. And Joseph went up from Galilee, from the town of 
Nazareth, unto Judea, to the town of David, which is 
called Bethlehem, because he was of the family and race 
of David ; 

5. To be enrolled with Mary his betrothed wife, who 
was then with child. 

6. Now it happened while they were there, that her 
time of childbearing was accomplished. 

7. And she brought forth her son, her first-born, and 
swathed him, and laid him in the manger, because there 
was no room for them in the public lodging house. 

8. And there were in the same country, shepherds 
abiding abroad, and watching the night watches over their 
flocks. 



veto -qyeyiovEvovTOQ rrjg TLvpiag Kyp^via, looks very like a note in 
the margin, which was made by some one who confounded the 
two enrolments together, and which from the margin may after- 
wards have slipped, through the carelessness of a copyist, into 
the text. 

(v. 7.) The manger, the lodging house — (parvrj, KaraXv/na — 
prsesepium, diversorium. Though, in conformity with other trans- 
lators, I have rendered tyarvri manger, I am inclined to think that 
it ought to be rendered stable, a meaning which that word fre- 
quently bears. The KaraXvfia was probably something like the 
caravansary of later times — a square building, in which travellers 
were accommodated on the platform raised against the walls, and 
their cattle in the area which that platform enclosed. And I sus- 
pect that the (parvij was a stable for such cattle as could not find 
room within the Kara\v}ia. From the narrative of the evangelist, 
it appears to have been the name of a place as well known as the 
lodging house. Mary laid the child in the phatnee, kv rij <j)a-vri, 
because there was no room in the lodging house, kv t<Z KaraXu/uari. 
(v. 7.) The angel told the shepherds to go to Bethlehem, and 
they would find the child lying in the phatnee, kv rfj (pdrvt], [v. 12) 
and they went and found it in the phatnee, ev rfj tyarvr]'. (v. 16.) 
Where would they have gone to find him, if they had had no other 
direction than that he was lying in a manger ? 



220 LUKE. 

9. And lo ! an angel of the Lord stood suddenly before 
them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them : and 
they feared fearfully. 

10. But the angel said to them, " Fear not : for I an- 
nounce to you what will be a matter of great joy to all 
the people. 

11. That to-day hath been born to you a saviour, who 
is Messiah the Lord, in the town of David. 

12. And this shall be a sign to you. Ye shall find the 
child in swaddling clothes lying in the manger." 

13. And instantly there was with the angel a multitude 
of the heavenly host, praising God in these words, 

14. " Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace to 
men of good will." 

15. Now it happened, that as soon as the angels with- 
drew from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to 
another, " Let us go as far as Bethlehem, and see this 
that hath happened, which the Lord hath made known 
to us." 

16. And they came in haste, and they found Mary and 
Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger. 

17. And having seen him, they made known what had 
been said to them concerning this child. 

18. And all who heard of it, marvelled at, the things 
which were related to them by the shepherds. 

19. But Mary preserved (the remembrance) of all these 
things, pondering them in her heart. 

20. And the shepherds returned glorifying and praising 
God, for all the things which they had heard, and had 
seen to be in accordance with what had been said to them. 



{v. 14.) To men of good will. According to die present Greek 
text, among men good will. The other reading, followed by the 
Latin translator, appears preferable. 



LUKE. 221 

21. And when eight days were accomplished, the time 
for circumcising the child, his name was called Jesus, 
the same by which he had been called by the angel, before 
he was conceived in the womb. 

22. And when the days of her purification were accom- 
plished according to the law of Moses, they brought him 
to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord, 

23. As it is written in the law of the Lord, every male 
that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord. — 
Ex. xiii. 2. 

24. And to offer sacrifice, according to the injunction 
of the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle doves, or two 
young pigeons. 

25. Now behold, there was a man in Jerusalem of the 
name of Simeon, a man righteous and religions, waiting 
for the consolation of Israel ; and the holy Ghost was 
upon him. 

26. And it had been revealed to him by the holy 



{v. 21.) The child, according to the law, (Lev. xii. 3) was to be 
circumcised on the eighth day. Here it is said that the eight days 
were accomplished before the circumcision. But the Jews spoke 
of a day already begun, as if it were a complete day. 

(v. 22.) The days of her purification. Though two verses 
have intervened since any mention was made of Mary, the pro- 
noun refers to her. Her purification followed his circumcision. 
The time was forty days. Lev. xii. 1-6. 

(v. 23.) That openeth — c>i avolyov /nrjrpav — adaperiens vulvam. 
I have translated it in this manner, because the first male child, 
if be had been preceded by a female child, did not fulfil the condi- 
tion, and consequently did not come under the law. 

(Ibid.) Shall be called holy. That is, shall be holy or hallowed 
to the Lord. 

Whoever will compare this quotation with the several passages 
in the books of Moses in which the law is mentioned, will find that 
it does not exactly represent any one of them, and will conclude 
that the expression " as it is written," means only that the evan- 
gelist gives the sense, not the very words, of the original. 



222 LUXE. 

Ghost, that he should not see death, till he had seen the 
Messiah of the Lord. 

27. And he came by guidance of the spirit into the 
temple ; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, 
to do for him after the custom of the law, 

28. He also took him into his arms, and blessed God 
in these words, 

29. " Now, O Lord, dost thou dismiss thy servant in 
peace according to thy word ; 

30. Because mine eyes have beholden the saviour, 

31. Whom thou hast provided in the sight of all nations, 

32. A light for the illumination of the Gentiles, and 
for the glory of thy people Israel." 

33. And Joseph and his mother were in astonishment 
at the things that were spoken concerning him. 

34. And Simeon blessed them ; and said to Mary his 
mother ; " Behold this child is appointed for the fall and 
rise of many in Israel, and to be a mark for contradiction ; 

35. Yea, the sword shall pierce thy very soul : so that 
the workings of many hearts will be made manifest." 

36. There was moreover a prophetess, Anna the daugh- 
ter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser, very far advanced in 
age, who had lived seven years with her husband from 
the time of her virginity, 

37. And was now a widow of about four score and 
four years, who never left the temple, worshipping in 
fasting and prayer night and day. 

38. Now she, coming up at that very moment, returned 
thanks to the Lord, and spake concerning him to all that 
looked for the redemption of Israel. 

39. And, as soon as every thing had been done accord- 
ing to the law of Moses, they returned into Galilee, to 
their own town of Nazareth, 



LUKE. 223 

40. And the child grew up, and improved in spirit, 
being filled with wisdom ; and the grace of God was upon 
him. 

41. Now his parents went every year to Jerusalem at 
the feast of the passover. — Ex. xxiii. 14. 

42. And when he was twelve years old, after they had 
gone to Jerusalem according to the custom of the festival, 

43. And, at the end of the days, were leaving to return, 
the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem. And Joseph and 
his mother knew it not. 

44. But imagining that he was in the company, they 
went the day's journey, and sought him among their 
kinsfolk and acquaintance- 

45. But not having found him, they returned to Jeru- 
salem, and made inquiries after him. 

46. Now it happened, that they found him on the third 
day in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, 
hearkening to them, and putting questions. 

47. And all who heard him, marvelled at his know- 
ledge and his answers. 

48. And when they saw him, they were in astonish- 
ment. And his mother said to him : " Son, why hast 
thou dealt with us in this manner ? Behold, thy father 
and 1 have gone about in sorrow seeking after thee." 

49. But he said to them : " How came it that ye 



(v. 40.) Grace of God — x^P lQ 6 £ °v* Some have rendered these 
words ' the beauty of God/ in the sense of heavenly beauty : but in 
a similar passage at the end of the chapter, yaptg must mean 
favour of God. I have, however, rendered it grace, a word sus- 
ceptible of either meaning. 

(v. 46.) On the third day — fxeff rifxipag rpeig — post triduum. 
See note to v. 21. The first day was spent on the road from Jeru- 
salem, the second in their return, and on the third they found him 
in the temple. 



2'24 LUKE. 

sought after me? Did ye not know that I must be in 
my father's house ?" 

50. But they did not understand the answer which he 
made them. 

51. And he went down with them, and came to Naza- 
reth, and was submissive to them. 

52. And his mother laid up all these things in her 
heart. And Jesus improved in wisdom, and stature, 
and favour, both with God and man. 



CHAPTER III. 

THE PREACHING OF JOHN : THE BAPTISM AND 
GENEALOGY OF JOSEPH. 

1. Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cae- 
sar, Pilate Pontius being the procurator of Judea, Herod 
tetrarch of Galilee, Philip, his brother, tetrarch of Ituria 
and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene ; 

2. Under the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, the 
word of God came upon John, the son of Zachary, in the 
wilderness. 

(v. 52.) His mother laid up all these things in her heart. 
Hence it is not improbable that the evangelist derived his know- 
ledge of them from her testimony. 

[v. 2.) The high priests. Regularly there was but one high 
priest, and he was for life. But it is supposed that the Romans 
made such appointments as they pleased. Annas and Caiaphas 
are mentioned as high priests, not only at the preaching of the 
baptist, but afterwards at the death of Christ. St. John always 
speaks of Caiaphas, not as the high priest simply, but as the high 
priest of the year ; (xi. 49 ; xviii. 13) and the precedence is uni- 
versally given to Annas. (Luke iii. 2 ; John xviii. 13 ; Acts iv. 6.) 
Hence may it not be concluded that Annas was considered by the 
Jews as the real high priest, who, on account perhaps of age or 
infirmity, or the will of the governor, had appointed or permitted 
his son-in-law Caiaphas to perform the duties of the office ? 



LUKE. 225 

3. And he went through all the country near the Jor- 
dan, announcing the baptism of repentance for the 
remission of sins. 

4. As it is written in the book of the sayings of Isaias 
the prophet, in these words, the voice of him who crieth in 
the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make 
straight his paths, 

5. Let every hollow be filled up, and every mountain and 
hill be lowered ; and let the crooked roads be made straight, 
and the rough roads smooth : 

6. And let all flesh see the salvation of God. — Ls. xi. 
3, 4, 5. 

7. He said therefore to the multitudes, that came out 
to be baptized by him : " Ye broods of vipers, who hath 
taught you to flee from the wrath about to come ? 

8. Yield then acceptable fruits of repentance, and begin 
not to say we have Abraham for our father : for I tell you 
that God is able out of these stones to raise up children 
to Abraham. 

9. Yea, even now the axe lieth at the root of the trees ; 
and therefore every tree not yielding good fruit, will be 
hewn down and cast into the fire." 

10. And the people asked him saying, " What then 
must we do ?" 

11. In answer he said to them ; " He that hath two 
coats, let him give to him that hath none ; and let him 
that hath store of food do in like manner." 

12. The tax-gatherers also came to be baptized, and 
said to him, " Master, what must we do?" 

13. But he said to them, " Exact nothing beyond the 
orders which have been given to you." 

14. And men in the army asked him, saying ; " And 
we, what must we do ?" And he said to them, " Do vio- 

Q 



226 LUKE. 

lence to no man ; bring false charges against no man ; 
and be content with your pay." 

15. Now, as the people were fall of expectation, and 
all were debating in their hearts concerning John, 
whether he might not be the Messiah, 

16. John gave this answer to all ; " I baptize you with 
water : but there cometh he that is more mighty than I, 
the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to loose. He 
will baptize you with the holy Ghost and with fire. 

17. Whose fan is in his hand ; and he will thoroughly 
clear his floor : and will gather the wheat into his barn, 
and the chaff he will burn in unquenchable fire." 

18. With (these) therefore and many other exhortations 
he announced the good tidings to the people. 

19. But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him on 
account of Herodias his brother's wife, and all the other 
evil things which he, Herod, did, 

20. Added this to all (the rest) that he shut up John 
in prison. 

21. Now it happened during the baptism of all the 
people, that, when Jesus was baptized, and was praying, 
the heaven was opened, 

22. And the holy Ghost descended upon him in a 
bodily shape like a dove ; and a voice came from heaven, 
saying, " Thou art my son, my beloved, in thee I am well 
pleased." 

23. Now Jesus himself was beginning to be about 



(v. 23.) Beginning — apx^evog — incipiens. Different mean- 
ings have been assigned to this word, as beginning to preach him- 



LUKE. 227 

thirty years old, being (as was thought) the son of Joseph, 
son of Heli, son of Matthat, 

24. Son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Janni, son of 

Joseph. 

self in contradistinction to John the baptist, and as being in sub- 
jection to his parents : but by the most ancient Christian writers 
it has been applied to the age of our Saviour, and the only dispute 
among them regarded the meaning of thael, about. According to 
some, he had completed thirty years ; (S. Ign. ep. interp. ad Tral- 
lianos ; Con, Neocis, can. xi.) according to Ireneeus, he was not 
quite thirty ; (lib. ii. c. 39j and according to Justin Martyr, he 
was thirty years old, more or less, fj -rrXeiova r) kcii eXaatrova. 
(Dial, cum Tryph. 315.) There are here also some chronological 
difficulties, on account of our uncertainty as to the date of Herod's 
death, though we are sure of it within a year ; and as to the time 
which elapsed between the birth of our Saviour and the death of 
Herod, probably a year or something more. The following table 
appears to me to approach very near to the truth : 

Enrolment by Cyrenius 

Birth of Christ 

Saturninus is succeeded by Quintilius Varus in 
the government of Syria .... 

Herod dies 

The Christian Era begins the first of January . 
Archelaus, the successor of Herod, deposed 
Second enrolment by Cyrenius 
Tiberius associated with Augustus in the empire 
The XV tb of Tiberius; when tbe baptist preached 
Christ's baptism, having completed 30 years 

(v. 24.) The son of Levi. St. Luke calls Joseph the son of 
Levi, and therefore gives us the descent of Levi : St. Matthew 
calls him the son of Jacob, and therefore gives us the descent of 
Jacob. Thus we have two different genealogies. But how could 
Joseph have two fathers ? Supposing Jacob to be his natural 
father, Levi might have been his legal father, if, according to the 
law, Jacob had taken the widow of his brother Levi, to raise up 
seed to the deceased ; or Levi might be his adopted father, by 
having adopted Joseph for his son ; or he might have been his 
mother's father, and therefore considered as Joseph's father, vol 
yap Trarepag tojv yevo/aivujv raig Qvyarpaatv avrwv riwcov rove 
tHov OrjXstQv yevrjropac eTrKxrafxeda. (Just. Mart. 327 J That the 
descents of families were still carefully preserved among the Jews, 
is plain from Josephus ; (Vita, i. ; Cont. Ap. i. 7) and it appears 
that St. Matthew copied one of these with regard to the family of 
Joseph, and St. Luke another. That either of them forged the 

Q2 



A.U. 


A.C 


748 




748 




749 




750 




754 




760 


6 


761 


7 


765 


11 


779 


25 


779 


25 



228 LUKE. 

25. Son of Mathathias. son of Amos, son of Nahum, 
son of Hesli, son of Nagge, 

26. Son of Mahath, son of Mathathias, son of Simei, 
son of Joseph, son of Juda, 

27. Son of Joanna, son of Resa, son of Zorobabel, son 
of Salathiel, son of Neri, 

28. Son of Melchi, son of Adda, son of Cosan, son of 
Elmadan, son of Her, 

29. Son of Jesus, son of Eliezer, son of Joram, son of 
Mathat, son of Levi, 

30. Son of Simeon, son of Juda, son of Joseph, son of 
Jona, son of Eliakim, 

31. Son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mathatha, son 
of Nathan, son of David, 

32. Son of Jesse, son of Obed, son ofBooz, son of Sal- 
mon, son of Naasson, 

33. Son of Aminadab, son of Aram, son of Ezron, son 
of Phares, son of Juda, 

34. Son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of 
Phare, son of Nachor, 

35. Son of Sarug, son of Ragaii, son of Phaleg, son of 
Heber, son of Sale, 

36. Son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Sem, son 
of Noah, son of Lamech, 

37. Son of Mathusali, son of Henoch, son of Jared, son 
of Malaleel, son of Cainan, 

38. Son of Henos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God. 



document, is out of the question ; for it could be of no service to 
them, since each is careful to tell us, at the same time, that Joseph 
was not the real father of Jesus. Some have supposed that Heli 
might be the father of Mary, and on that account called the father 
of his son-in-law. But had it been the object of the evangelist to 
describe the descent of our Saviour through his mother, he would 
most certainly have stated it. As the text stands, no one could 
suspect any such object. 



LUKE. 229 



CHAPTER IV. 

JESUS IN THE WILDERNESS: AT NAZARETH : IN 
CAPHARNAUM. 

1. Now Jesus returned from the Jordan full of the 
holy Ghost, and was led by the spirit into the wilderness, 

2. For forty days, and was tempted by the devil. Dur- 
ing those days he ate nothing-, and at the conclusion of 
them he was hungry. 

3. And the devil said to him, " If thou art the son of 
God, bid this stone to become bread." 

4. And Jesus answered him, " It is written man livetk 
not on bread alone, but on every word of God.'''' Deut. viii. 3. 

5. And the devil leading him on to a high mountain, 
shewed him all the kingdoms of the earth in an 
instant of time. 

6. And the devil said to him, " To thee will I give all 
this power, and the glory of them : for to me they have 
been delivered, and I give them to whomsoever I will. 

7. If then thou worship me, all shall be thine." 

8. Jesus said in answer, " It is written, the Lord thy 
God shalt thou worship, and him only shaft thou serve?' — 
Deut. vi. 13; 1 Sam. vii. 3. 

9. And he led him into Jerusalem, and set him on the 
wing of the temple, and said to him, " If thou art the son 
of God, cast thyself down from this place : 

10. For it is written, that to his angels he will give charge 
concerning thee, to guard thee fin thy ways) : 



{v. 9.) Wing — irrepvyiov — pinnaculum. Probably the very 
lofty portico built by Herod, on the edge of a precipice so very 
deep, that few could bear to look to the bottom. See Jos. Ant. 
xv. 11. 



230 LUKE. 

11. And that on their hands they will bear thee up, lest 
perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone.'''' — Ps. xc. 11, 12. 

12. And Jesus said to him in answer : " It hath been 
said, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God!" — Deut. vi. 16. 

13. And having finished all his temptation, the devil 
departed from him for a while. 

14. And Jesus returned by the impulse of the spirit 
into Galilee, and the talk about him spread through all 
that country. 

15. And he taught in their synagogues, and was 
applauded of all. 

16. And he went to Nazareth, where he was brought 
up ; and according to his custom he entered the syna- 
gogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to read. 

17. And the book of Isaias the prophet was given to 
him; and unrolling the book, he met with the place in 
which it is written, 

18. The spirit of the Lord is upon me : wherefore he 
hath anointed me. He hath sent me to announce good 
tidings to the poor, to heal the bruised of heart ; to announce 
deliverance to the captive, and restoration of sight to the 
blind : to dismiss the galled (with fetters) in liberty, 

19. And to announce the acceptable year of the Lord, 
and the day of retribution. — Is. lxi. 1. 

(v. 18.) Restoration of sight to the blind, and to dismiss the 
galled with fetters in liberty. For all this, we have in the ori- 
ginal text of Isaiah nothing more than an opening to the bound, 
which the Septuagint, from whose version St. Luke quotes, inter- 
pret an opening of the eyes to the blind, and later translators an 
opening of the prison to those that are in fetters. Here both 
translations are inserted — the first from the Septuagint, Is. lxi. 1 ; 
the second from a passage of similar import in the Septuagint, 
Is. lviii. 6. It cannot be that the evangelist gave both versions. 
Probably some one, dissatisfied with the first, added the other as a 
correction, and thus both found their way into the text. 



LUKE. 231 

20. And rolling up the book, he gave it to the officer, 
and sate down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue were 
strained upon him. 

21. And he began to say to them : " This scripture hath 
been accomplished to-day in your ears." 

22. And they all bore witness in his favour ; and mar- 
velled at the graceful speeches which came from his 
mouth, and said : " Is not this the son of Joseph ?" 

23. But he said to them, " After all, ye will address to 
me this parable, ' Physician, heal thyself.' Do here in 
thine own country as great works, as we hear thou hast 
done in Capharnaum." 

24. He said moreover : " Verily I say to you, that no 
prophet is well received in his own country. 

25. Of a truth I tell you ; there were many widows in 
Israel in the days of Elias, when the heavens were closed 
for three years and six months, so that there was a great 
famine over all the land. 

26. Yet not to one of them was Elias sent, but to a 
widow woman in Sarepta of Sidon. — 3 Kings xvii. 9. 

27. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time 
of Elisaeus the prophet ; yet not one of them was cleansed, 
but Naaman the Syrian. — 4 Kings v. 14. 

28. And all in the synagogue who heard this, were 
filled with wrath. 

29. And leaving it, they drove him out of the town 
and led him to the brow of the rock on which their town 
was built, to throw him headlong down. 

30. But he walked through the midst of them, and 
went his way. 

(v. 23.) Parable. It was a common proverb, which came 
under the definition of a parable, inasmuch as those who used it, 
drew in their own minds an inference from a fancied resemblance. 
It was as much as to say, { thou art like the physician who would 
not cure himself.' 



232 LUKE. 

31. And he came down to Capharnaum, a town of 
Galilee, and abode there, teaching them on the sabbaths. 

32. And they were astonished at his manner of teach- 
ing : for his words were uttered with authority. 

33. Now in the synagogue was a man possessed with 
an unclean fiend, and he cried with a loud voice : 

34. " Ah ! what hast thou to do with us, Jesus of Naza- 
reth ? Art thou come for our destruction ? I know who 
thou art, the holy one of God." 

35. And Jesus charged him strictly, saying : " Hold 
thy peace, and come out of him." And the fiend, though 
he threw him down in the midst of them, came out of 
him, having done him no harm. 

36. And astonishment fell upon all ; and they talked 
with one another, saying : " What meaneth this, that 
with authority and power he biddeth the unclean spirits, 
and they go out ?" 

37. And the report concerning him travelled into every 
part of that district. 

38. But leaving the synagogue, he went into the house 
of Simon, whose wife's mother was afflicted with a violent 
fever ; and they applied to him for her. 

39. And standing over her, he rebuked the fever, which 
left her ; and she, rising immediately, ministered to them. 

40. And after sunset, all who had any sick, of diverse 
diseases, brought them to him ; and he laid his hands on 
each, and healed them. 

41. Also fiends were cast out of many, exclaiming and 
saying : " Thou art the son of God." But he rebuked 
them, and would not permit them to speak, that they 
knew he was the Messiah. 



{v. 40.) After sunset. Because the sabbath ended at sunset, 
and they were then at liberty to work. 



LUKE. 233 

42. But when day was dawning, he went out, and pro- 
ceeded to a solitary place ; and the people sought after 
him, and carne to where he was, and tried to detain him, 
that he might not depart from them. 

43. But he said to them : " I must announce ' the 
kingdom of God' to the other towns also ; for it was for 
that purpose that I have been sent." 

44. And he continued to announce (it) in the syna- 
gogues of Galilee. 



CHAPTER V. 

CALL OF PETER : CURE OP THE PARALYTIC I CALL 
OP MATTHEW. 

1. Now it happened, that as the people crowded upon 
him to hear the word of God, and he was standing close 
to the lake of Genesareth, 

2. He saw two barks aground by the lake ; for the 
fishermen had left them, and were washing their nets. 

3. And going into the bark, which was Simon's, he 
prayed him to put back a little from the bank ; and sit- 
ting down, he taught the people out of the bark. 

4. And when he had done speaking, he said to Simon : 
" Put ye back into the deep, and let down your nets for a 
draught." 

5. And Simon made answer : " Master, we have toiled 
all the night long, and have taken nothing : but at thy 
word I will let down the net." 

6. Now, when they had done this, they caught a great 
multitude offish, and the net was like to break. 

{v. 42.) Was dawning. See Mark i. 35. 



234 LUKE. 

7. And they made signs to their companions in the 
other bark, to come and help them : and they came, and 
they filled both barks, so that they were like to sink. 

8. And Simon Peter seeing it, fell at the knees of 
Jesus, saying : " Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, 
O Lord." 

9. For awe had seized on him and all his companions, 
at the draught of fish which they had taken. 

10. And likewise on James and John, who were part- 
ners with Simon. And he said to Simon : " Fear not ; 
henceforth thou shalt be employed in taking men." 

11. And running their barks on shore, they forsook all 
things, and followed him. 

12. Now it happened, when he was in one of the 
towns, that behold, a man covered with leprosy saw 
Jesus, and falling on his face besought him, saying: 
" Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." 

13. And stretching out his hand, he touched him, and 
said : " I will, be thou clean." Aud immediately the 
leprosy left him. 

14. And he charged him to tell no one : " But go, shew 
thyself to the priest, and make the offering for thy puri- 
fication, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them." 

15. But the reports about him spread more and more; 
and crowds of people came to hear him, and to be healed 
of their infirmities. 

16. And he continued to withdraw into solitary places, 
and to pray. 

[v. 11.) This whole transaction is prophetic of the success which 
was to attend the preaching of the apostles; and it is worthy of 
remark, that throughout Peter appears to hold the first place. The 
bark is his ; he it is that commands, he that holds converse with 
our blessed Lord, and he to whom the promise at the conclusion 
is given. 



LUKE. 235 

17. And it happened in one of those days, that as he 
was sitting* and teaching, and pharisees and teachers of 
the law, who had come from all the villages of Galilee, 
and Judea, and Jerusalem, were also sitting, the power 
of the Lord was (manifested) in healing them. 

18. And behold, men brought upon a bed a man who 
was paralytic, and sought to bring him in, and place him 
before him. 

19. But finding no way by which they could bring 
him in on account of the crowd, they went upon the roof, 
and let him down, with his little bed, through the tiles, 
into the midst before Jesus. 

20. And noticing their faith, he said to him : " Man 
thy sins are forgiven thee." 

21. And the scribes and pharisees began to reason 
within themselves, " Who is this man, this utterer of 
blasphemy ? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 

22. But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, said to them 
in answer, " Why do ye reason in your hearts ? 

23. Which is the more easy, to say ' thy sins are for- 
given thee,' or to say ' rise up, and walk away ?' 

24. But to the end ye may know that the son of man 
hath the power of forgiving sins on earth," (he said to 
the paralytic), " I say to thee, rise up, take thy bed, and 
go to thy home." 

25. And instantly, rising up before them, he took the 
bed on which he had been lying, and went away to his 
home, giving glory to God, 

26. And astonishment seized upon all, and they gave 
glory to God, and were filled with fear, saying, " We have 
seen things beyond conception to day." 

27. And after this he went out, and seeing a tax- 



236 LUKE. 

gatherer by name Levi, sitting at the toll office, he said 
to him. " Follow thou me." 

28. And leaving every thing, he rose up, and followed 
him. 

29. And Levi made for him a great banquet in his 
house, and there was much company of tax-gatherers and 
others, who lay down to table with him. 

30. And the pharisees and scribes snarled at his disci- 
ples, saying, " Why do ye eat and drink with tax- 
gatherers and sinners ?" 

31. And Jesus answered them, saying, " The healthy 
need not the physician, but the sick. 

32. 1 came not to call righteous men, but sinners to 
repentance 

33. But they said to him, " Why do the disciples of 
John fast often, and practise prayer, and those of the 
pharisees also, whilst thine are eating and drinking ?" 

34. And he said to them, " Can ye make the com- 
panions of the bridegroom fast, as long as the bridegroom 
is with them? 

35. But the days will come : and, when the bridegroom 
shall be taken from them, then, in those days, will they 
fast." 

36. And he also spake this parable to them ; " No 



(v. 36.) Spake this parable. In the corresponding passages in 
Matt. ix. 16, and Mark ii. 21, what is here called a parable, 
appears, without any such introduction, as part of the answer to 
the question of the pharisees, and a reason why the disciples of 
our Saviour do not fast. Taken as such, it is extremely enigma- 
tical. But St. Luke here informs us that it was a parable, sug- 
gested probably by that question, though not a direct answer to it. 
Asa parable, I conceive it to have this meaning : " My system 
and yours are incompatible. You cannot make them one by the 
union of both. Mine is new, and must be committed to new men, 
as the fittest observers of it. For those who are habituated to old 
practices, are not very ready to exchange them for new ones." 



LUKE. 237 

one putteth a patch from a new garment on an old one : 
otherwise he teareth the new, and the patch from the 
new suiteth not the old one. 

37. And no one putteth new wine into old skins : 
otherwise the wine will burst the skins, and it will run 
out itself, and the skins will become useless. 

38. But new wine must be put into new skins, that 
both may be preserved. 

39. And no one that drinketh old wine, will readily 
call for new ; for he sayeth, the old is better." 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE SABBATH : CHOICE OF APOSTLES : MORAL 
PRECEPTS. 

1. Now it came to pass on the sabbath, called the 
second-first, that as he passed through the corn fields, his 
disciples plucked the ears, and ate, rubbing them through 
their hands 

2. But some of the pharisees said to them, " Why do 
ye, what it is not lawful to do, on the sabbath day ?" 

3. And Jesus made to them this answer ; " Have ye 
then never read what David did, when he and his com- 
panions were hungry ? 

4. How he entered into the house of God, and took the 
loaves ' of the presence,' and ate, and also gave (of them) 
to his companions ; which loaves it is unlawful for any 
one but the priests to eat. 1 ' 

5. And he said to them ; " The son of man is lord even 
of the sabbath." 



238 LUKE. 

6. It happened also on another sabbath, that he entered 
into the synagogue and taught. And there was a man 
there, whose right hand was withered. 

7. And the scribes and pharisees watched, whether he 
would heal on the sabbath, that they might find a subject 
of charge against him. 

8. But he knew their reasonings, and said to the man 
with the withered hand, " Rise up, and stand in the 
midst." And he rose up, and stood. 

9. And Jesus sayeth to them, " I will ask you a ques- 
tion : is it lawful to do good on the sabbath day, or to do 
evil? To save life, or to destroy it ?" 

10. And having looked round on them all, he said to 
the man " Stretch out thy hand." And he stretched it 
out, and his hand was restored to its former state. 

11. But they were filled with rage, and communed 
with one another, what they should do to Jesus. 

12. It happened also in those days, that he went on to 
the mountain to pray, and passed the night in the oratory 
of God. 

13. But when the day brake, he called to him his dis- 
ciples, and chose out of them twelve, whom he called 
apostles, 

14. Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his 
brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, 

15. Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, 
and Simon who is called the zealous, 

(y. 12.) In the oratory of God — ev tj} irpoaev^ rov 6eoi> — in 
oratione Dei. That the word should be rendered oratory, is evi- 
dent. The Jewish places of prayer were known among the Greeks 
and Romans by the name of proseuchae. See Acts xvi. 13 ; Jos. 
Ant, xiv. 10 ; and Juvenal : 

" In qua te quaero proseucha." — Sat. iii. 296. 



LUKE. 239 

16. And Judas the brother of James, and Judas the 
Iscariot, who became the traitor. 

17. And coming down with them, he stopped in a 
plain, and (there was) a crowd of his disciples, and a great 
multitude of people from all Judea, and Jerusalem, and 
the coast of Tyre and Sidon, 

18. Who had come to hear him, and to be healed of 
their infirmities : and also persons tormented by unclean 
spirits. And they were healed. 

19. And all the people sought to touch him : for a vir- 
tue came out of him, and healed all. 

20. But he, raising up his eyes on his disciples, said; 
" Blessed are ye, ye poor, for yours is ' the kingdom of 
God.' 

21. Blessed ye that hunger now, for ye shall be filled ; 
blessed ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh. 

22. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and shall 
throw you off, and shall abuse you, and shall throw con- 
tempt on your name as evil for the sake of the son of man. 

23. In that day be ye glad, and leap through joy : for 
behold, your reward is great in heaven : for after this 
manner did their fathers do to the prophets. 

24. But wo to you, ye rich, for ye are in possession of 
your comfort. 

25. Wo to you who are filled, for ye shall hunger : wo 
to you who laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep. 

26. Wo to you, when all men shall speak in your 
praise : for after this manner did their fathers do to the 
false prophets. 

27. But I say to you that hear me, love ye your ene- 
mies, do good to those that hate you. 

28. Bless those that curse you, and pray for those that 
slander you. 



240 LUKE. 

•29. And, if a man smite thee on a cheek, present to 
him the other : and, if he take from thee thy cloak, refuse 
him not thy coat also. 

30. To every one that asketh of thee, give : and from 
him, who taketh what is thine, do not demand it back. 

31. And, as ye would that men do to you, do ye to 
them in like manner. 

3*2. And if ye love those who love you, what thanks 
do ye deserve ? Why, even sinners love those who love 
them. 

33. And if ye do good to those who do good to you, 
what thanks do ye deserve ? Why, the very sinners do 
that. 

34. And if ye lend to those, from whom ye expect to 
receive similar benefit in return, what thanks do ye 
deserve ? Why even sinners lend to sinners, that they 
may be equally benefited in return. 

35. But love your enemies, do good and lend without 
expectation of benefit ; and your reward shall be great, 
and ye will be the sons of the Most High : for he is 
indulgent to the ungrateful and the wicked. 



(v. 34.) This has often been translated as if it were advice te 
lend, though there were no hope of receiving back the value of the 
loan. But the meaning of our Saviour is, that we should do good 
disinterestedly — that, in lending to another, we should not look 
forward to the probability of receiving from him a similar accom- 
modation. 

(v. 35.) Without expectation of benefit — firilkv a7rs\7ri^ovreg — 
nil inde sperantes. The Latin version has been severely con- 
demned, because air{XTri'(uv, in classic writers, means to despair. 
But it might have a very different meaning, in the colloquial lan- 
guage of the time when the evangelist wrote ; and the very context 
shews the signification attached to it : fxr]^ev cnreXTri^ovTEQ is evi- 
dently opposed to eXtvi^ete inroXajleiv, and must mean fjirjcev i\7r(- 
(ovteq cnroXaftelv- 



LUKE. 241 

36. Be ye therefore compassionate, as your father is 
compassionate. 

37. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged ; condemn 
not, and ye shall not be condemned ; forgive, and ye shall 
be forgiven. 

38. Give, and ye shall receive gifts : good measure, 
and pressed down, and shaken together, and running- 
over, shall they give into your laps : for with the 
measure that ye mete withal, shall it be meted to you 
again." 

39. He also spake to them this parable. " Can a blind 
man lead the blind ? Will not both fall into the pit? 

40. The scholar is not above his teacher : but each one 
will be perfect, if he become as his teacher. 

41. Why seest thou the mote which is in thy brother's 
eye, and yet art not aware of the beam which is in thine 
own eye ? 

42. Or how canst thou say to thy brother, ' brother let 
me draw the mote out of thine eye,' when thou dost not 
perceive the beam in thine own eye ? Hypocrite, draw 
first the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou wilt 
see to draw the mote out of thy brother's eye. 

43. For it is not a good tree that yieldeth evil fruit ; 
nor an evil tree that yieldeth good fruit. 

44. For every tree is known by its fruit : for they 
gather not figs of thorns, nor do they pluck the grape 
from the bramble bush. 

45. From the good store in his heart the good man 
bringeth forth good ; and the evil man from his evil 
store bringeth forth evil. For it is from the abundance 
of the heart that the mouth speaketh. 



ii 



242 LUKE. 

46. But why do ye call me, ' Lord, Lord ;' and yet do 
not what I say ? 

47. Every one that cometh to me, and heareth my words, 
and practiseth them, I will show you to whom he is like, 

48. He is like to a man who built a house, and dug 
deep, and laid the foundation upon the rock ; and at the 
time of the flood the torrent burst against that house, but 
could not shake it, because it was founded upon the rock. 

49. But he that heareth and practiseth not, is like to 
a man who built a house upon the soil without founda- 
tion ; and the torrent burst against it, and immediately it 
fell ; and great was the ruin of that house. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE FAITH OF THE CENTURION : THE SON OF THE 

WIDOW OF NAIM : JOHN'S MESSAGE TO JESUS : HE 

DINES WITH A PHARISEE. 

1. When he had fully delivered all these lessons in the 
hearing of the people, he went into Capharnaum. 

2. Now there was a slave of a certain centurion, of 
great worth to him, who was sick, and like to die. 

3. And hearing of Jesus, he sent to him the elders of 
the Jews, to beseech him that he would come, and save 
the life of his slave. 

4. But they, accosting Jesus, earnestly besought him, 
saying, " He deserves that thou shouldst do him this 
favour. 

5. For he loveth our nation, and he it was, who built 
our synagogue." 

6. Now Jesus went along with them : and when he 
was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to 



LUKE. 243 

hiin, saying, " Lord do not trouble thyself: for I am not 
worthy that thou enter under my roof. 

7. Wherefore I have not presumed to come to thee in 
person : but do thou speak only a word, and my page 
will be healed. 

8. For I myself am one under command, and have sol- 
diers under me : and I say to this man, ' go' and he goeth, 
and to another 'come,' and he cometh, and to my slave 
( do this,' and he doeth it." 

9. But Jesus hearing this, wondered at him ; and 
turning to the people that followed him, he said, " Verily 
I say to you, I have not found so great a faith even in 
Israel." 

1 0. And the messengers returning to the house, found 
the slave, who had been sick, recovered. 

11. And it happened the next day, that he went to the 
town called Nairn, and there went with him a good com- 
pany of disciples, and a multitude of people. 

12. But as he approached the gate of the town, behold 
a dead man was brought out, the only begotten son of 
his mother, who was herself a widow. And with her 
there was a good company of the townspeople. 

13. And the Lord seeing her, was moved with compas- 
sion for her, and said to her, " Weep not." 

14. And advancing, he touched the bier, (those who 
bare it, stood still :) and said, " Young man, I say to thee, 
arise." 

15. And the dead man sate up, and began to speak : 
and he gave him to his mother. 

16. And awe seized upon all, and they gave glory to 
God, saying, " A great prophet hath risen among us, and 
God hath visited his people." 

R2 



244 LUKE. 

17. And this saying concerning him spread through- 
out Judea, and all the neighbouring country. 

18. And the disciples of John told him of all these 
things. 

J 9. And John calling to him some two of his disciples, 
sent them to Jesus, to say to him, " Art thou he who 
was to come, or are we to look for another ?" 

20. And the men coming to him said ; " John, the 
baptist, hath sent to thee, to say, e " Art thou he who was 
to come, or are we to look for another ?" 

21. Now at that time he was healing many from dis- 
eases, and pains, and evil spirits, and giving sight to 
many blind persons. 

22. And Jesus returned to them this answer : " Go 
and carry back to John what ye have seen and heard ; 
the blind see again, the lame walk about, the lepers are 
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have 
the good tidings announced to them. — Is. lxi. 6. 

23. And happy is the man who findeth no cause of 
offence in me." 

24. But on the departure of John's messengers, he be- 
gan to speak to the people respecting John. " What 
went ye out into the wilderness to see ? A reed shaken 
by the wind ? 

25. But what did ye go out to see? A man clothed in 
soft raiment ? Lo, the men who wear costly raiment, 
and live voluptuously, are in the palaces of kings. 

26. But what did ye go out to see ? A prophet ? Yea, 
I say to you, even much more than a prophet. 

27. For he is the man of whom it was written, behold, 
1 send my messenger before thy face, tvho shall prepare 
thy ivay before thee. — Mai. iii. 1. 



LUKE. 245 

28. For I say to you, amoDg the born of women a 
greater prophet than John the baptist there is not : yet 
the lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." 

29. And all the people that hearkened to him, and the 
tax-gatherers, have acknowledged the righteousness of 
God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. 

30. But the pharisees and the lawyers have rendered 
the design of God of none effect, as far as regarded them- 
selves, not having been baptized by him. ,, 

31. " Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this 
present race, and to whom are they like ? 

32. They are like to children sitting in the market 
place, and calling to each other in these words : c We 
have piped to you on the flute, and ye have not danced ; 
we have sung the song of mourning, and ye have not 
wailed.' 

33. For John the baptist came, neither eating bread, 
nor drinking wine, and ye say, he hath a fiend. 

(v. 28.) Prophet. The reader should be aware that the word 
prophet did not, in the style of this age, necessarily denote a person 
who foretold things to come. It was applied to all who were 
believed to speak under the guidance or influence of the holy spirit. 

(r. 29.) I conceive, that from this verse to v. 36, we have a 
continuation of the same discourse of our Saviour, in vindication 
of the conduct of God, as far as regarded the rejection of the scribes 
and pharisees. The people and the tax-gatherers submitted as 
sinners to the baptism of John — the others refused. Our Saviour 
came after John ; but his indulgent charity was not more success- 
ful than the austere virtue of his precursor. None but sinners and 
tax-gatherers accepted the proferred mercy. Their example, how- 
ever, furnished a sufficient justification of the ways of divine 
wisdom in the subsequent rejection of the Jews, because it shewed 
that the fault was entirely their own. 

{v. 31.) In the printed text this verse begins with the words — 
But the Lord said. They are wanting in several MSS., and are 
rejected by the best critics. 



246 LUKE. 

34. But the son of man came eating and drinking, and 
ye say behold a glutton, and a wine-drinker, a friend of 
tax-gatherers and sinners. 

35. And the wisdom (of God) hath been proved righte- 
ous by all her children." 

36. Now one of the pharisees asked him to eat with 
him ; and entering the house he lay down to table. 

37. And behold a woman, who was a sinner in the 
town, as soon as she learned that he was at table in the 
house of the pharisee, brought a vial of balsam, 

38. And standing behind at his feet, began to water 
his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of 
her head, and kissed his feet and anointed them with the 
balsam. 

39. But the pharisee, that had invited him, seeing her, 
said within himself, if this man were a prophet, he would 
have known who and what manner of woman it is that 
toucheth him — for she is a sinner. 

40. But Jesus took occasion to say to him : " Simon, I 
have something to say to thee." He replied, " Say it 
master." 

41. " There were two debtors of the same creditor. The 
one owed five hundred pence, the other fifty, 

42. And as they had not the means of payment, he 



(v. 37.) Vial of balsam. See Mall. xxvi. 7. 

(v. 39.) For — on — quia. f 'On in this place does not point out 
the cause — for her being a sinner would be no reason why Christ 
should know what she was ; but it points out the occasion which 
suggested this train of reasoning to the mind of the pharisee. Her 
being a sinner suggested to him doubts of Christ being a prophet. 

(v. 41.) Five hundred pence — about £15. 12s. 
Fifty penct — about £1. lis. 



LUKE. 247 

forgave them both. Now which of the two will love him 
most ? 

43. Simon made answer, " He, I imagine, to whom he 
forgave most." And he replied, " Thou hast judged 
rightly." 

44. Then turning towards the woman, he said to Simon, 
" Seest thou this woman ? When I came into thy house 
thou gavest me no water for my feet : but she hath watered 
my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. 

45. Thou gavest me no kiss, but she, from the moment 
of her entrance, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 

46. Thou hast not anointed my head with oil : but she 
hath anointed my feet with balsam. 

47. Wherefore I say to thee, her sins, many as they 
are, have been forgiven her — for she hath loved much. 
But he to whom little hath been forgiven, loveth little." 

48. But to her he said, " Thy sins are forgiven." 

49. And the other guests at table began to say in their 
own minds, " Who is this man that even forgiveth sins ?" 

50. But he said to the woman, " Thy faith hath saved 
thee. Go in peace." 



CHAPTER VIII. 

PARABLES AND MIRACLES. 

1. Now after this it came to pass, that he travelled 
through town and village, proclaiming and announcing 

(v. 47.) Many as they are. In the original, our Saviour does 
not merely say that many sins are forgiven her, but lays a stress 
on their multitude — at a/uapriai avrrjg at TroXKal. 

For — on — quia. Here again, on, as in v. 39, does not point 
out the cause why. The whole reasoning of our Lord, both before 



248 LUKE. 

the good tidings of ' the kingdom of God,' both he and 
the twelve with him, 

2. And certain women, who had been healed from evil 
spirits, and infirmities ; Mary, who was called Magdelene, 
from whom seven fiends had been cast out, 

3. And Joanna, the wife of Chusa, Herod's steward, 
and Susanna, and many others, who out of their own pro- 
perty ministered to him. 

4. Now when a great multitude had assembled, and 
the inhabitants of the towns, one after another, had 
resorted to him, he spake to them in a parable. 

5. " The sower went out to sow his seed. Now, as he 
sowed, some fell by the way side, and was trodden under 
foot, and the birds of heaven ate it up. 

6. And other some fell upon a rock, and when it had 
sprung up it withered, because it wanted moisture. 

7. And other some fell in the midst of the thorns : and 
the thorns grew up with it, and choked it. 

8. And other some fell on good soil, and springing 
up, it bare fruit a hundred fold." And saying this, he 
called out, " He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." 

9. But his disciples asked him what that parable 
meant. 

10. And he said, "To you it is given to know the 
mysteries of the kingdom of God : but to the rest in para- 
bles : so that looking they do not see, and hearing they 
do not understand. 

and after, goes to prove that love and gratitude are the consequences 
of the benefit, and in proportion to it. Her love was not then the 
cause of forgiveness, but the consequence : 8rt marks the reason of 
her acting as she had done. — She hath washed and dried, and 
anointed my feet, because she lovetfa much. 



LUKE. 249 

1 1 . But the parable hath this meaning : the seed is the 
word of God. 

12. By the way side are meant the hearers, when the 
Devil comes and taketh the seed away from their hearts, 
so that they believe not, and are not saved. 

13. By the rock, those who hear and receive the word 
with joy, but they have no root ; they believe for a while, 
but in the time of trial they fall away. 

14. By the land with thorns those who hear, but going 
away are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures 
of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 

15. But by the good soil they, who hearing the word 
with a good and sincere heart, retain it, and wait 
patiently, bringing forth fruit. 

16. No man, who lighteth a candle, covereth it with a 
dish, or placeth it under a bed, butputteth it on a stand, 
that those who enter may see the light. 

17. For nothing is covered that shall not be brought to 
light, nothing is hidden that shall not be known, and 
placed in the light. 

18. Attend then to the manner in which ye hear. For 
to him who hath, there shall be given : but from him who 
hath not, even that which he seemeth to have, shall be 
taken away. 

19. Now his mother and brethren came towards him, 
but could not approach him on account of the crowd. 

20. And it was told him by some, who said, " Thy 
mother and thy brethren stand without, wishing to see 
thee." 



{v. 14. ) Of life — tov (jih. This word shews the meaning of 
aiwvoc, in the correspondingtxts of the two former evangeli sts. 



250 LUKE. 

21. But he made answer, " My mother and my brethren 
are those, who hear the word of God, and do it." 

22. Moreover it happened on one of those days that he 
went with his disciples on board a bark, and said to them, 
" Let us pass to the other side of the lake." And they 
put forth. 

23. Now, as they sailed along, he fell asleep : and 
there came down such a storm of wind on the lake, 
that they were filled, and were in danger. 

24. And they went and awakened him, saying ; " Mas- 
ter, master, we are perishing." But he rose, and rebuked 
the wind and the swell of the water ; and they ceased, 
and there came a calm. 

25. And he said to them, " Where was your faith ?" 
But they, being stricken with awe and amazement, said, 
one to another, " What manner of man is this : for he 
biddeth the winds and the waves, and they obey him." 

26. And they sailed down to the country of the Gada- 
renes, which is on the opposite shore to Galilee. 

27. Now as he disembarked on land, a man met him, 
belonging to the town, who had long been possessed with 
fiends, and who neither wore clothes, nor lived in a house, 
but among the tombs. 

28. And when he saw Jesus, he uttered a shout, fell 
down before him, and said with a loud voice, " What 
hast thou to do with me, Jesus, son of the most high 
God ? Do not, I beseech thee, torment me." 

29. For he had ordered the unclean spirit to come out 
of the man : which on many occasions had seized upon 
him : and then, though the man was bound with chains 
and fetters, he would break his bonds, and was carried 
away by the fiend into the wilderness. 



LUKE. 251 

30. And Jesus asked him, saying-, " What is thy 
name ?" And he answered, " Legion :'' because many 
fiends had entered into him. 

31. And they begged that he would not bid them go 
into the abyss. 

32. Now there was there a herd of a good many swine 
feeding on the mountain. And they prayed him to per- 
mit them to enter into them. And he gave them per- 
mission. 

33. And the fiends, leaving the man, entered into the 
swine. And the herd rushed down the precipice into 
the lake, and was drowned. 

34. But the herdsmen, seeing this, fled ; and related it 
in the town, and the country. 

35. And the people went out to see what had happened : 
and they came to Jesus, and found the man, whom the 
fiends had left, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in 
his senses, And they were filled with awe. 

36. And the spectators of the fact also told them, how 
the possessed man had been healed. 

37. And the whole population of the district of the 
Gadarenes, besought him to depart from them, because 
they were in great fear. And going back into the bark, 
he returned. 

38. And the man whom the fiends had left, begged to 
continue with him : but Jesus dismissed him with these 
words : 

39. " Return to thy home, and relate what great things 
God hath done for thee." And he departed, publishing 

[v. 31.) The abyss. By this term in Scripture is meant the 
place of punishment of the wicked spirits. Their fear of being 
sent back to this place seems to have induced them to ask permis- 
sion to enter the swine. 



252 LUKE. 

throughout the town, what great things Jesus had clone 
for him. 

40. Now it came to pass that, on the return of Jesus, 
he was welcomed by the multitude : for all had been 
waiting for him. 

41. And lo, a man by name Jairus, who was the ruler 
of the synagogue, came, and falling at the feet of Jesus, 
besought him to go to his house. 

42. Because he had an only begotten daughter about 
twelve years old ; and she was dying. Now, as he went, 
the people thronged about him, 

43. And a woman, who had been afflicted for twelve 
years with an issue of blood, and had spent all her pro- 
perty upon physicians, no one of whom was able to cure 
her, 

44. Came behind, and touched the tuft of his cloak ; 
and that instant her issue of blood was stanched. 

45. And Jesus said, " Who is it that touched me ?" 
As all denied it, Peter and his companions said to him, 
" Master, the crowd throngeth about thee, and presseth 
upon thee, and dost thou ask, who is it that touched me ?" 

46. But Jesus said : " Some one hath touched me : for 
I felt the power going out from me." 

47. Then the woman seeing that she had not escaped 
notice, came trembling, and falling down before him, told 
him in presence of all the people, on what account she 
had touched him, and how she was immediately healed. 

48. And he said to her ; " Daughter, thy faith hath 
made thee whole. Go in peace." 

49. While he was yet speaking, there came some one 
to the ruler of the synagogue, saying to him ; " Thy 
daughter is dead. Do not trouble the master." 



LUKE. 253 

50. But Jesus hearing it, made him this answer ; " Fear 
not : only believe, and she shall be healed." 

51. And coming to the house, he allowed no one to 
enter, but Peter and James and John, and the father and 
mother of the maid. 

52. And they were all wailing and beating their breasts. 
But he said : " Wail not : she is not dead, but sleepeth." 

53. And they jeered at him, knowing that she was 
dead. 

54. But he ordered them all out, and taking her by the 
hand, spake to her these words, " Girl, arise." 

55. And her spirit returned ; and she stood up forth- 
with : and he bade them to give her to eat. 

56. And her parents were amazed : but he ordered 
them to tell the fact to no one. 



CHAPTER IX. 

MISSION OF THE APOSTLES: MULTIPLICATION OF 
LOAVES : TRANSFIGURATION. 

1. Now, calling to him the twelve apostles, he gave to 
them power and authority over all fiends, and to heal 
distempers. 

2. And he sent them to announce the ' kingdom of 
God,' and to cure the infirm. 

3. And he said to them, " Make no provision for your 
journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread nor money, 
nor to have two coats a-piece. 

4. And into whatsoever family ye enter, remain there, 
and depart not thence. 

(v. 4.) Depart not thence — EKeidev e^ip^effde. The translation 
of the vulgate reads p) before the verb, and it is plainly required 
by the meaning of the precept. 



254 LUKE. 

5. And whosoever will not receive you, leave that 
township, and shake off even the dust from your feet, for 
a testimony against them." 

6. And they departed, and traversed the villages, an- 
nouncing the good tidings, and healing (the sick) every- 
where. 

7. Now Herod the Tetrach heard of all the things 
which he had done, and was at a loss, because it was said 

8. By some, that John was risen from the dead ; by 
some that Elias had appeared, and by others that one of 
the ancient prophets had returned to life. 

9. And Herod said, " John I have beheaded : but who 
is this man of whom I hear so much ?" And he sought 
to see him. 

10. And the apostles on their return told him all that 
they had done ; and taking them with him he withdrew 
privately into a desolate place of the township of Beth- 
saida. 

11. But the people learning it, followed him: and he 
received them, and spake to them of * the kingdom of 
God,' and healed those that stood in need of healing. 

12. Now the day began to fall. And the twelve came, 
and said to him : " Dismiss the people, that they may 
go unto the neighbouring villages and farms, to procure 
lodgings and provisions ; for here we are in a desolate 
place." 

13. But he said to them ; " Do ye give them to eat." 
They answered, " We have no more than five loaves and 
two fishes ; unless we were to go, and to buy food for all 
this multitude." 






LUKE. 255 

14. For there were about five thousand men. But he 
said to his disciples, " Make them lie down in parties of 
about fifty together." 

15. Now they did so ; and made them all lie down. 

16. But he, taking the five loaves and the two fishes, 
looked up to heaven, and blessed them, and brake them, 
and gave them to his disciples, that they might set them 
before the people. 

17. And all did eat, and were satisfied : and they car- 
ried away the remains of the fragments, twelve baskets 
full. 

18. Now it happened that, as he was praying in pri- 
vate, and his disciples were with him, he asked them 
saying, " Who do the people say that I am ?" 

19. They made answer, "John the baptist : but some, 
Elias ; and others, that one of the ancient prophets hath 
risen again." 

20. Then he said to them : " But who do ye say that I 
am ?" Simon Peter answered, saying, " The Messiah of 
God." 

21. But he commanded them with strict injunction, to 
tell no one of this, 

22. Saying, " It behoveth the son of man to suffer 
much, and to be rejected by the elders, and the high 
priests, and the scribes, and to be put to death, and to rise 
again on the third day." 

23. And he said to them all : " If any one be willing 
to come after me, let him renounce himself; and take up 
his cross daily, and follow me. 

24. For whosoever shall seek to save his life, will lose 
it ; but he who shall lose his life for my sake, will save it. 



256 LUKE. 

25. For what profit bath that man, who gaineth the 
whole world, yet loseth or ruineth himself? 

26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me, or of my 
words, of him the son of man will be ashamed, when he 
shall come in his own glory, and that of the father, and 
of the holy angels. 

27. But I say to you of a truth, that some of those 
who stand here, will not taste of death, before they see 
' the kingdom of God.' " 

28. Now it happened that about eight days after these 
words, he took with him Peter, and James, and John, and 
went upon the mountain to pray. 

29. And while he prayed, the appearance of his coun- 
tenance was changed, and his garments became white of 
the most dazzling brightness. 

30. And behold two men were conversing with him, 
and they were Moses and Elias, 

31. Who appeared in glory, and spake of the end which 
he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. 

32. But Peter and his companions had been over- 
powered with sleep ; and awakening they saw his glory, 
and the two men standing by him. 

33. And it happened that, as they were withdrawing 
from him, Peter said to Jesus, " Master, it is good for us 
to be here : let us make three huts, one for thee, one for 
Moses, and one for Elias," without knowing what he said. 

34. But while he was speaking, a cloud came and 
overshadowed them ; and the disciples were struck with 
awe as they (the others) entered into the cloud. 



(v. 31.) The end which he was to accomplish. The death 
which he was to undergo. 



LUKE. 257 

35. And a voice issued from the cloud, saying-, " This 
is my son, my beloved ; hear ye him." 

36. And during the utterance of the voice, Jesus was 
found to be alone. And they kept this secret, and told 
to no one at that time aught of what they had seen. 

37. Now it came to pass the next day, that, as they 
came down from the mountain, a great multitude met 
them. 

38. And one of the company called out, saying, " Mas- 
ter, I pray thee, cast thine eyes on my son, for he is my 
only begotten. 

39. And behold a spirit seizeth him, and causeth him 
forthwith to cry out, and throweth him into convulsions 
with foaming, and will hardly depart from him, after 
he hath bruised him. 

40. And I asked thy disciples to cast him out; yet they 
could not. 1 ' 

41. But Jesus made answer, " Unbelieving and erring 
race ! how long shall I be among you, and bear with 
you ? Bring thy son hither." 

42. And as he approached, the fiend threw him down 
in convulsions. 

43. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed 
the boy, and restored him to his father. 

44. And all were in amazement at the great power of 
God ; and while they all wondered at everything which 
he did, he said to his disciples ; " Lay up all these words 
in your hearts ; for the son of man is to be delivered into 
the hands of men." 

45. But they understood not this word : it was veiled 
from them, so that they comprehended it not : and they 
dared not ask any question respecting it. 



258 LUKE. 

46. Now a debate arose among them, which of them 
were the greater. 

47. But Jesus knowing the reasonings of their hearts, 
took hold of a child and placed him beside himself. 

48. And said to them ; " Whosoever receiveth this 
child in my name, receiveth me ; and whosoever receiveth 
me, receiveth him that sent me. For the lesser among 
you all, he is the greater." 

49. But John accosting him said ; " Master, we saw a 
man casting out fiends in thy name ; and we forbade him, 
because he folio weth not with us." 

50. And Jesus said to him : " Forbid him not : for he 
who is not against you, is for you." 

51. Now it happened that when the days of his retire- 
ment were accomplished, he set his face stedfastly on the 
road to Jerusalem. 

52. And he sent messengers before him : and they on 
their way entered into a town of the Samaritans, to pre- 
pare for him there. 

53. But they would not receive him ; because he had 
the appearance of one going to Jerusalem. 



(v 45.) They would not believe that their master was actually 
to be put to death, and therefore persuaded themselves that he was 
speaking, as usual, in a figurative or allegorical language. He did 
not undeceive them. When the time came, they would recollect 
and understand what he had said. 

{v. 51.) Retirement — ai>a\r}\piQ — assumptio. This is the only 
passage in which the word occurs in the New Testament. It is 
susceptible of different meanings. The Latin translator has ren- 
dered it assumptio, referring it, perhaps, to his ascension. More 
probably, it denotes the time during which he withdrew from the 
notice of the Jews in the capital and in Judca, and confined his 
preaching within the remote province of Galilee. That time was 
now concluded, and he was going to Jerusalem. 



LUKE. -259 

54. And his disciples James and John noticing this, 
said, " Lord, is it thy will that we call down fire from 
heaven to consume them ?"— 4 Kings, i. 9. 

55. But he turned and rebuked them, saying, " Ye 
know not of what manner of spirit ye are. 

56. The son of man came not to destroy the lives of 
men, but to save their souls." And they went away to 
another village. 

57. And it happened that while they were walking 
along, some one said to him, " I will follow thee, where- 
soever thou goest." 

58. Jesus said to him : " The foxes have burrows, and 
the birds of heaven have shelter : but the son of man 
hath not where to repose his head." 

59. And he said to another, " Follow thou me." But 
he said, " Lord allow me first to go and bury my father." 

60. But Jesus said to him, " Leave the dead to bury 
their dead : but do thou go, and announce ' the kingdom 
of God.' " 

61. And another said, " I will follow thee, Lord, but 
give me leave first to bid farewell to my family." 

62. Jesus said to him, " No one that hath put his hand 
to the plough, and looketh back at the things behind him, 
is fit for the ' kingdom of God.' 

(v. 53.) This was on account of their objection to the temple at 
Jerusalem, to which it was supposed that the travellers were going. 

[v. 56.) Lives — souls. In the Greek we have but one word for 
both — \^vyhc. 

(v. 59.) To bury my father. The reader will remember, that 
the omission of this duty was considered a heinous crime by the Jews, 
that the ceremony lasted seven days, and often entailed a ruinous 
expense on the son. — Jos. de Bel. ii. 1. 

S2 



260 LUKE. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE SEVENTY-TWO DISCIPLES : THE CHARITABLE 
SAMARITAN: MARTHA AND MARY. 

1. After this he appointed seventy-two other (disciples), 
and sent them two and two before his face, into every 
town and place, which he meant to visit. 

2. And he said to them : " The harvest, indeed, is plen- 
tiful, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the 
Lord of the harvest, that he send labourers* unto his 
harvest. 

3. Go ye : behold I send you as lambs into the midst 
of wolves. 

4. Carry not bag, nor scrip, nor sandals : nor (tarry to) 
salute persons by the way. 

5. And into whatsoever family ye enter, first of all say, 
6 peace be to this house.' 

6. And if a son of peace dwell there, on him your peace 
shall rest : otherwise it shall return to you. 

7. And make your abode in the same family, eating 
and drinking such things as they may afford. For the 
labourer is deserving of his hire. But do not shift from 
one family to another. 

8. And into whatsoever town ye enter, if they receive 
you, eat what may be placed before you. 

9. And heal the sick that are therein, and say to them 
1 the kingdom of God ' is approaching to you." 

(v. 1.) Sent them two and two. He was on his way to Jeru- 
salem, and these disciples bad to announce his approach. 

{y. 9.) The kingdom of God is approaching. This was the 
announcement with which they prepared the people to receive 
him. 






LUKE. 261 

10. But into whatsoever town ye may enter, if they 
receive you not, go into the streets and say ; 

11. ' The very dust of your town that cleaveth to us, we 
brush off to you again : yet know this, that the 'kingdom 
of God' is approaching to you.' 

12. I say to you that it shall be more tolerable in that 
day for Sodom than for such town. 

13. Wo to thee Corozain, wo to thee Bethsaida ; for had 
the wonders wrought in you, been wrought in Tyre and 
Sidon, long ago had they sitten down, and repented in 
sackcloth and ashes. 

14. But at the judgement it will be more tolerable for 
Tyre and Sidon than for you. 

15. And thou Capharnaum, raised as thou art up to the 
heavens, thou shalt be plunged down into hell. 

16. He that heareth you, heareth me; and he that 
despiseth you, despiseth me : but he that despiseth me, 
despiseth him that sent me." 

17. Now the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, 
" Lord, the fiends themselves have been subject to us in 
thy name." 

18. But he said to them, et I saw Satan fall like light- 
ning from heaven. 

19. Behold, I have given you power to trample on ser- 
pents and scorpions, and on all the might of the enemy : 
and nothing shall injure you. 

20. But do not rejoice, because the spirits are subject 
to you : rejoice, because your names are written in 
heaven." 

21. At that moment, in a transport of the spirit, he 
said : " I give praise to thee, father, Lord of heaven and 
earth, because thou hast hidden these things from the 



262 LUKE. 

wise and the learned,, and hast revealed them to little 
ones. Yea, father, because such hath been thy good 
pleasure. 

22. All things have been delivered to rne by my father, 
and no one knoweth the son, who he is, but the father ; 
nor the father who he is, but the son, and he to whom 
the son chooseth to reveal it." 

23. And turning to his disciples, he said : " Happy the 
eyes which see what ye see. 

24. For I say to you, many prophets and kings have 
desired to see the things which ye see, and have not seen 
them ; and to hear the things which ye hear, and have 
not heard them. ,, 

25. Now behold, a lawyer stood up to try him, and 
said : " Master, what shall I do to inherit everlasting 
life?" 

26. But he said to him, " What is written in the law ? 
How readest thou ?" 

27. He gave this answer : " Thou shalt love the Lord 
thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy 
neighhour as thyself" — Deut. vi. 5 ; Lev. xix. 18. 

28. And he said to him : " Thou hast answered rightly; 
do this, and thou shalt live. 

29. But he, wishing to vindicate himself, said to Jesus : 
" But who is my neighbour?" 

30. And Jesus said in return : " A certain man, going 



(v. 29.) To vindicate himself — diKcuovv — justificare. It may 
mean, to prove his own righteousness, or, to shew that he bad rea- 
son to ask the question, by moving a doubt respecting the meaning 
of the word neighbour. For the Jews restrained it to their own 
countrymen, and treated all others as enemies— " adversus omnes 
alios hostile odium." Tac. J list. v. ">. 



LUKE. 263 

down from Jerusalem to Jericho, fell in with robbers, 
who stripped and wounded him, and left him half dead. 

31. Now it chanced that a certain priest went down by 
the same road ; but when he saw him, he passed by on 
the opposite side. 

32. In the same manner a Levite, when he was near 
the place, and saw him, passed on the opposite side. 

33. But a Samaritan, being on a journey, came near 
him, and seeing him, was moved with compassion. 

34. And approaching, he bound up his wounds, pour- 
ing wine and oil into them, and placed him on his own 
beast, and led him to an inn, and took care of him. 

35. And the next day, he took out two denarii, and 
gave them to the host, and said : ' Take thou care of him, 
and whatever thou shalt lay out over and above, I, on my 
return, will repay thee.' 

36. Now which of these three appeareth to thee to 
have been a neighbour to him, who fell in with the 
robbers ?" 

37. But he said : " He who shewed compassion to 
him." And Jesus said to him : " Go thou, and do the 
like." 

38. Moreover it came to pass, that, as they proceeded, 
he entered a certain village in which a woman, named 
Martha, received him in her house. 

39. Now she had a sister called Mary, who sate at the 
feet of Jesus, and hearkened to his word. 

40. And Martha was greatly hurried with much 
serving : and, presenting herself before him, she said : 

(v. 35.) Two denarii, in value about Is. 3d, 
(v. 38.) Village. It was Bethania. 



264 LUKE. 

" Lord, hast thou no concern that my sister hath left me 
alone to serve ? Tell her to help me." 

41. But Jesus said toher in answer, " Martha, Martha, 
thou trouhlest thyself with many things. 

42. One only is necessary. Mary hath chosen the 
good part, which shall not be taken from her." 



CHAPTER XI. 

PRAYER AND ITS EFFICACY. — THE CASTING OUT OF 
FIENDS. — THE HYPOCRISY OF THE PHARISEES. 

1. Now it happened that, when he was praying in a 
certain spot, one of his disciples said to him, as soon as 
he had done, " Lord do thou teach us to pray, as John 
taught his disciples." 

2. And he said to them, " when ye pray, say : Father, 
hallowed be thy name : thy kingdom come : 

3. Give us to clay our daily bread : 

4. And forgive us our sins, for we forgive all that are 
indebted to us, and lead us not into temptation." 

5. And he said to them ; " Which of you shall have a 
friend, who shall come to him in the middle of the night, 
and say to him, ' Friend, lend me three loaves : 

6. For my friend hath come to me off the road, and I 
have nothing to set before him ?' 

7. And shall reply from within ; * Do not trouble me : 
the door is now fast : and my children as well as myself 
are in bed : I cannot rise to give thee ' — 

8. Yet, if he continue to knock, which of you, I say, 
though he may not rise and give him for friendship, will 



[v. 42.) T/) v hynOt)v — the good — optimam, the best. 



LUKE. 265 

not rise on account of his importunity, and give him as 
many as he may have need of. 

9. Therefore I say to you : ask, and they shall give to 
you : seek, and ye shall find ; knock, and they shall open 
to you. 

10. For every one who asketh, receiveth ; and who 
seeketh, findeth; and who knocketh, hath the door 
opened to him. 

11. Is there a man among you,, who, if his son ask him 
for oread, will give him a stone ? Or if he ask for fish, 
will give him a serpent in place of fish ? 

12. Or if he ask for an egg, will hold out to him a 
scorpion ? 

13. If ye then, evil as ye are, know how to bestow 
good gifts upon your children ; how much more will 
your father who (giveth) from heaven, give a good spirit 
to those that ask him ?" 

14. Now he was casting out a fiend, and the man was 
dumb. And when the fiend was cast out, the dumb 
man spake, and the people wondered. 

15. And some of them said, " it is through Beelzebub, 
the prince of fiends, that he casteth out fiends :" 

16. While others for a trial asked him for a sign from 
heaven. 

17. But he, aware of their thoughts, said to them : 
" Every kingdom divided against itself, will be laid deso- 
late, and house against house will fall. 

18. If then Satan be divided against himself, how shall 
his kingdom stand ; for ye say that I cast out fiends 
through Beelzebub. 

19. If I cast out fiends through Beelzebub, through 



266 LUKE. 

whom do your children cast them out ? Therefore they 
shall be your judges. 

20. But if I cast out fiends by the finger of God, then 
truly the * kingdom of God ' must have come upon you un- 
awares. 

21. When the strong man in armour guardeth his 
court, all that he possesses, is in peace. 

22. But if one, who is stronger than he, come upon 
him, and conquer him, he will take away the arms in 
which he trusted, and divide his spoils. 

23. He that is not with me, is against me, and he that 
doth not gather with me, scattereth. 

24. When an unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he 
wandereth through places without water in search of a 
resting place, and not finding any, sayeth, " I will return 
into my house which I left." 

25. And when he is come, he findeth it swept and put 
in order. 

26. Then goeth he, and taketh to himself seven other 
spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in, and 
fix their abode there. And the last state of that man 
becometh worse than the first." 

27. Now it happened that, when he had said these 
things, a certain woman in the crowd raised her voice, 
and said ; " Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the 
breasts which gave thee suck." 

28. But he said ; " Yea, rather blessed are they that 
hear the word of God, and keep it." 

29. Then, as multitudes assembled round him, he began 
to say, "This race is a wicked race. It scckcth a sign, 






LUKE. 267 

but no sign shall be given to it, unless it be the sign of 
Jonas the prophet. 

30. For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninivites, so shall 
the son of man be to this race. 

31. The queen of the South shall rise up at the judge- 
ment against the men of this race, and shall prove them 
guilty ; for she came from the bounds of the earth to 
hearken to the wisdom of Solomon, (2 Chron. ix. 1) and 
behold, something more than Solomon is here. 

32. The men of Niniveh shall stand up at the judge- 
ment against the men of this race, and shall prove them 
guilty ; for they repented at the preaching of Jonas (Jon. 
iii. 5.) and, behold something more than Jonas is here. 

33. No one lighteth a lamp to place it in concealment, 
or under a measure, but upon a stand, that all who enter, 
may see the light. 

34. The light of thy body is thine eye. If thine eye 
be clear, thy whole body will be lightsome: but if thine 
eye be naught, thy whole body will be darksome. 

35. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee 
do not become darkness. 

36. If then thy whole body be lightsome without any 
portion of darkness, all about thee will be lightsome, as 
when a lamp with its flame enlighteneth thee." 

37. Now, while he was speaking, a certain pharisee 
asked him to dine with him. And he entered and lay 
down to table. 

38. And the pharisee observing it, wondered that he 
did not wash before dinner. But the Lord said to him ; 

39. " Now ye, O pharisees, cleanse the outside of the 
cup and the platter : but your own inside is full of injus- 
tice and wickedness. 



268 LUKE. 

40. Fools as ye are, did riot he who made that which 
is without, also make that which is within ? 

41. Nevertheless, what is still in your power, give alms; 
and behold, all things are clean to you. 

42. But wo to you, ye pharisees, for ye pay the tithe of 
mint, and of rue, and of every sort of herb, but pass over 
justice and the love of God. It was your duty to practise 
these things, and not to omit those. 

43. Wo to you, ye pharisees, for ye love the first seats 
in the synagogues, and salutations in public places. 

44. Wo to you, for ye are as graves that appear not, 
and are not noticed by those who walk over them." 

45. And one of the lawyers interupting him, said : 
" Master, by such discourse as this thou art injurious to 
us also." 

46. But he said : " Wo to you also, ye lawyers, for ye 
burthen men with burthens difficult to bear, but will not 
move a finger to ease the burthens. 

47. Wo to you, that build the sepulchres of the prophets 
who were slain by your fathers. 

48. Surely ye both attest and approve the deeds of 
your fathers. Because they killed them, ye build their 
sepulchres. 

(v. 41.) What is still in your power — ra evovra — quod superest. 
Some critics are positive that this phrase means your present pro- 
perty, which you must, give in alms : others, the contents of the 
dish and platter, which are to be so given. It appears to me, that 
the Latin translator has seized the true meaning; that there still 
remained in their power to give alms in reparation of their injustice 
and rapacity — advice which Zachoeus is recorded to have followed 
soon afterwards, xix. 8. 

(v. 48.) They attest the deeds of their fathers, by building the 
sepulchres of those killed by their lathers. They approve the deeds 
of their fathers, by imitating their vices.— See the parallel passage, 
Matt, xxiii. 32. 






LUKE. 269 

49. On this account did the wisdom of God say ; I 
will send to them, prophets and messengers, and out of 
them will they slay (some) and persecute (others.) 

50. So that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the 
foundation of the world, will be required of this race ; 

51. From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachary 
who fell between the altar and the sanctuary ; yea I tell 
you, it will be required of this race. 

52. Wo to you, ye lawyers, for ye have carried away the 
key of knowledge : and have neither entered yourselves, 
nor allowed those, that were going in, to enter." 

53. Now when he had said this, the pharisees and law- 
yers began to stand up to him fiercely, and to question 
him, on many points, 

54. Seeking to ensnare him, and to catch from his 
mouth matter of accusation against him. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE LEAVEN OF THE PHARISEES: BLASPHEMY AGAINST 
THE HOLY GHOST : THE PARABLE OF THE RICH MAN : 
THE UNFAITHFUL STEWARD. 

1. At which time the people crowded together by tens 
of thousands, so as to tread on one another : and he be- 

(v. 50.) The meaning cannot be, that the Jews of that day were 
to answer for the death of Abel by the hand of his brother Cain. 
God in the law had threatened to visit their transgressions with 
temporal chastisements ; and this he had done on several occasions : 
but then, " in his wrath he had remembered mercy. Though 
individuals suffered, the nation had been preserved. But now 
they were about " to fill up the measure of their fathers ;" to per- 
petrate a deed far more heinous than any perpetrated by their 
ancestors. Punishment would follow, but no longer tempered 
with mercy ; and the race of Abraham would be swept from among 
the nations, as if God had waited till that day to avenge all the 
righteous blood shed from the foundation of the world. 



270 LUKE. 

gan to say to his disciples ; " Beware to yourselves of the 
leaven of the pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 

2. For nothing is covered which shall not be uncover- 
ed : nothing hidden which shall not become known. 

3. So that what ye have said in darkness, shall be 
heard in the light: and what ye have whispered in the 
closets, shall be proclaimed on the house-tops. 

4. But I say to you, my friends, fear not those who 
may kill the body, and after that have nothing more that 
they can do. 

5. But I will shew you whom to fear : fear ye him 
who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell ; 
yea, I tell you fear ye him. 

6. Are not five sparrows sold for two asses ? Yet not 
one of them is forgotten before God. 

7. But of you the very hairs of your head are all num- 
bered. Therefore do not fear. Ye are of more worth than 
many sparrows. 

8. But I say to you, every one that shall own me be- 
fore men, the son of man will own him before the angels 
of God. 

9. But he that disowneth me before men, shall be dis- 
owned before the angels of God. 



(v. 1.) This chapter begins with instructions respecting the con- 
duct of the first converts after our Lord's ascension. First, They 
were to be on their guard against the hypocrisy of the pharisees, 
who made virtue consist principally in open shew, v. 1-4. Secondly, 
They were not to fear persecution, but to look forward to the re- 
ward which awaited them. And, thirdly, They were to expect 
the aid of the Holy Ghost, whenever they were called upon to 
answer for their faith before courts of justice, v. 11, 12. I cannot 
help thinking that the 10th verse, on blasphemy against the Holy 
Ghost, has been inserted here by mistake from some other place. 

(v. 6.) Two asses. Two assaria, in value six farthings. 



LUKE. 271 

10. And whosoever shall utter words against the son 
of man to him will be forgiveness : but to him that shall 
blaspheme the holy spirit, there will be no forgiveness. 

11. Now when they shall arraign you before the syna- 
gogues, and magistrates and authorities, trouble not 
yourselves about how or what ye may answer or say: 

12. For the holy spirit will teach you at that moment 
what ye ought to say." 

13. Then one of the multitude said to him, " Master, 
tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me." 

14. But he said to him, " Man, who appointed me to 
be judge or arbitrator over you?" 

15. And he said to them ; " Take heed, and beware of 
greediness : for, whatever plenty a man hath, it is not in 
his possessions that his life consists." 

16. Then he spake a parable to them, saying; " A cer- 
tain rich man had land which was very fruitful. 

17. And he reasoned within himself saying: ' What 

{v. 16.) Here the dispute between the brothers respecting their 
inheritance, gave occasion to our Lord to lay down some of those 
rules which were afterwards faithfully observed by the Hebrew 
christians, who formed the nascent church of Jerusalem. — (See 
Introduction, No. 6.) Our Saviour proceeds thus : From v. 16 to 22, 
he shews the uncertainty of worldly riches by the parable of the 
rich man, who was called away by death, at the moment he was 
congratulating himself on the prospect of a loug enjoyment of 
wealth. From v. 22 to 32, he forbids his disciples to trouble 
themselves about the necessaries of life : promising that, if they 
seek the kingdom of God, in the first place, God himself shall 
provide for them ; and in v. 33, concludes with a command that 
they they sell all their property, and give it to the poor, in which 
case they will possess a treasure in heaven. This precept was 
obeyed to the letter by the first christians in Judea ; but it is evi- 
dent from the Acts and the Epistles, that it was never supposed to 
be of obligation in any other Church. 



272 LUKE. 

shall I do : for I have do place wherein to lay up my 
crops.' 

18. And he said ; ' This will I do : I will pull down my 
barns, and build them larger : and therein will I lay up 
all my produce, and all my effects. 

19. And I will say to my soul ; ' Soul, thou hast a mul- 
titude of good things laid up for many years : take thine 
ease, eat, drink, and fare jovially.' 

20. But God said to him, ' Thou fool, this very night 
will they demand thy soul of thee : and the things which 
thou hast provided, whose shall they be ?' 

21. Such is the lot of him, who layeth up stores for 
himself, and is not rich in God." 

22. And he said to his disciples ; <c Therefore I say to 
you : trouble not yourselves about your life what ye may 
eat, nor about your body, what ye may put on. 

23. Life is of more value than food, and the body than 
raiment. 

24. Look ye at the ravens. They neither sow nor reap ; 
they have neither storehouse nor barn. Yet God feedeth 
them. Of how much greater value are ye in comparison 
with the winged race ? 

25. Or who is there among you that, trouble himself as 
he may, can add a single span to his age. 

26. Now, if ye cannot do that which is the very least, 
why do ye trouble yourselves with cares about the rest ? 

27. Look ye at the lilies, how they grow. They toil 
not, neither do they spin. Yet I say to you that not even 
Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of them. 

28. If then the herbage which to-day is in the field, 
and to-morrow will be cast into the oven, God doth clothe 
in this wise, how much more you, O ye of little trust ? 

{v. 25.) See Matt. vi. 27. 



LUKE. 273 

29. Seek ye not, therefore, after what ye may eat, or 
what ye may drink ; nor disquiet your minds with doubts 
for the future. 

30. For all these are things, after which the people of 
the world enquire eagerly : whereas your father knoweth 
that ye have need of them. 

31. But do ye seek after the kingdom of God; and all 
these things shall be given to you over and above. 

32. Fear not, thou little flock : for your Father hath 
been pleased to give you the ' kingdom.' 

33. Sell whatsoever ye have, and give alms ; make for 
yourselves bags which grow not old, an unfailing treasure 
in heaven, where thief approacheth not, and worm doth 
not gnaw. 

34. For where your treasure is, there also will be your 
heart. 

35. Let your loins be girded round, and your lamps be 
lighted in your hands, 

36. And be ye like unto men, waiting for their lord at 
his return from the wedding, that on his arrival and 
knocking, they may forthwith open to him. 

37. Happy are those slaves, whom their lord at his 
coming shall find watching : verily I say to you that he 

(v. 29.) Nor disquiet your minds with doubts for the future — 
ko.1 fij] fXETEiopi^eade — nolite in sublime tolli. The Latin translator 
was at a loss for the real meaning of this verb, and therefore ren- 
dered it literally from the adjective fxereiopoQ, sublimis. But /jLEriupog 
is said of him who is in suspense, and looks forward with anxiety to 
the result ; as in Josephus, jiereiopoi nipl tCjv o\wv ovteq, (de Bel. iv. 9 ) 
whence, there can be no doubt, that fiETEiopi^ofiai means here to 
look forward with anxiety, to be solicitous for the future. 

(v. 31-34.) Here the promise is repeated to the Hebrew chris- 
tians, that if they sell all and give to the poor, for the sake of the 
kingdom, providence shall be pledged for their future support. 

T 



274 LUKE. 

will gird himself, and bid them lie down at table, and 
will pass and minister to them. 

38. And should he come in the second watch, or come 
in the third watch, and find things so, happy are those 
slaves. 

39. Now this ye know, that if the master of the house 
were aware of the hour at which the thief would come, 
he would watch, and not let his house be broken. 

40. Ye therefore, be ye also ready : for it is at an hour 
when ye expect him not, that the son of man will come." 

41. Then Peter said to him, " Lord, is it about us that 
thou speakest this parable, or also about all?" 

42. But the lord said : " Who then is the faithful and 
discreet steward, whom the lord will set over his house- 
hold, that he may give out to them their allowance of 
food at the season ? 

43. Happy is that slave, whom his lord on his arrival 
shall find so employed. 

44. Verily I tell you, he will appoint him over all his 
substance. 

45. But should that slave say in his heart, * My master 
tarrieth to come ;' and should he begin to scourge the 
slaves male and female, and to eat and quaff, and grow 
drunken, 

46. The lord of that slave will come on a day when he 
expected him not, and at an hour of which he is not 
aware, and will scourge him in twain, and give him his 
portion with the unfaithful. 

47. Now the slave, who hath known the will of his 
master, and yet made no preparation, nor performed his 
orders, shall receive many stripes. 

48. But he that knew it not, yet did things deserving 



LUKE. 275 

of chastizement, shall receive few. For from every one, 
to whom much hath been given, much will be required : 
and to whom they have entrusted much, from him the more 
will they demand." 

49. " I came to cast fire upon the earth, and what do I 
wish but that it be kindled ? 

50. There is a baptism with which I have to be baptized; 
and how am I pained, until it be accomplished ? 

51. Do ye think that I came to give peace upon earth? 
No, I tell you, not peace but dissension. 

52. For henceforth, in a family of five, there will be 
opposed three against two, and two against three. 

53. The father will be of an opposite party to the son, 
and the son to the father : the mother to her daughter, 
and the daughter to her mother : the mother-in-law to her 
daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law to her mother- 
in-law." 

54. He moreover said to the people, " When ye see a 
cloud rising from the west, ye say immediately, e a storm 
is coming,' and so it happeneth. 

55. And if the south wind blow, ye say, ' it will be hot;' 
and it happeneth accordingly. 

56. Hypocrites, ye can judge of the appearances of the 
earth and the skies, and yet ye cannot judge of the pre- 
sent time. 

57. How comes it that of yourselves ye cannot discern 
what is right?" 

58. — " For, as thou goest with thy creditor to the 

(v. 55.) Travellers observe, that in the month of March the 
south winds blow in Syria, and are insufferably hot. 

T2 



276 LUKE. 

magistrate, endeavour in the way to be set free of him, 
lest he drag thee before the judge, and the judge deliver 
thee to the bailiff, and the bailiff cast thee into prison. 

59. I say to thee, thou wilt not find thy way out again 
till thou hast paid even the last mite/' 



CHAPTER XIII. 

SEVERAL PRECEPTS, AND PARABLES : PREDICTION OF 
THE RUIN OF JERUSALEM. 

1. Now at that very time, some of those who were pre- 
sent, told Jesus of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had 
mingled with their sacrifices. 

2. And he made answer ; " Do ye suppose that these 
Galileans were the greatest sinners of all the Galileans, 
because they suffered these things ? 

3. Not so I tell you : but, unless ye repent, ye shall all 
equally perish. 

4. Or with respect to the eighteen, on whom the tower 
fell in Siloe, and killed them ; do ye suppose that they 
were debtors (to God) more than all the other inhabitants 
of Jerusalem ? 

5. Not so I tell you : but, unless ye repent, ye shall all 
in like manner perish." 

6. Moreover he spake to them this parable. " A cer- 
tain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard ; and he 
came to look for fruit on it, but found none. 

7. Wherefore he said to the vine-dresser, f See : for 
three years have I come looking for fruit on this fig tree, 



(v. 59.) A mite.— Xeirrov. In value three quarters of our 
farthing. 



LUKE. 277 

and have found none. Cut it down. Why doth it stand 
to exhaust the soil ?' 

8. But he replied : ' Sir, spare it for this year, till I 
shall have dug round and manured it. 

9. And perhaps it may yield fruit : but if not, thou 
mayest afterwards cut it down.' " 

10. Now he was teaching in their synagogue on a 
Sabbath day. 

11. And there was a woman, who had been possessed 
with a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years ; and was 
bowed down so that she could not look up at all. 

12. When Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and 
said to her, "Woman, thou art freed from thine infirmity." 

13. And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she 
stood upright, and gave glory to God. 

14. But the chief of the synagogue, displeased that 
Jesus had healed her on the sabbath, interrupted him, 
saying to the people : " There are six days in which ye 
may work ; come on them and be healed, and not on the 
sabbath day." 

15. But Jesus answered him saying ; " Ye hypocrites : 
doth not each of you loose your ass or your ox from the 
stall, and lead him to water on the sabbath ? 

16. And ought not this daughter of Abraham, whom 
Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, to be loosed 
from her bonds on the sabbath day ?" 

17. And on his saying this, all his adversaries were 



[v. 9.) The reader will see that this parable is predictive of the 
rejection of the Jews. Three years had Jesus successively gone to 
Jerusalem, and preached to little purpose. He now gave them a 
respite, and preached to them for six months more. 



278 LUKE. 

ashamed, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious 
works which he wrought, 

18. And he said : " To what is ' the kindom of God ' 
like : and with what shall I compare it ? 

19. It is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man 
took and put into his garden, and it grew till it became a 
great tree ; and the birds of heaven found shelter in its 
branches." 

20. And he said again, " With what shall I compare 
* the kingdom of God' ? 

21. It is like to leaven, which a woman took, and 
covered up in three measures of meal, till the whole was 
leavened." 

22. And he taught, as he passed through the towns 
and villages on his way to Jerusalem. 

23. Then one said to him, " Lord, are they few, that 
are saved ?" But he said to them, 

24. " Strive ye to enter by the narrow gate : for I tell 
you, many will seek to enter, and will not be able. 

25. For, when once the master of the house shall enter 
and close the door, ye may begin to stand without and 
knock at the door, and say, ' Lord, Lord, do open to us;' 
but he will answer, 1 1 know ye not, whence ye are.' 

26. And ye may begin to say, ( We have eaten and 
drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our 
streets :' 

27. But he will say to you, ' I know you not, whence 
ye are ; depart from me all ye workers of iniquity.' 

(v. 25.) Enter — eye^djj — intraverit. The author of the vulgate 
must have read differently from our present Greek copies. 

(v. 26.) Hence it appears that the persons excluded are the 
Jews. 



LUKE. 279 

28. Then shall be the weeping and the gnashing of 
teeth ; when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, 
and all the prophets in ' the kingdom of God,' and your- 
selves cast out: 

29. And when they shall come from the east and the 
west, from the north and the south, and shall lie down to 
table in the ' kingdom of God.' 

30. And behold, they are last who shall be first, and 
first who shall be last." 

31. On that day some pharisees came and said to him, 
" Go, and leave this place ; for Herod meaneth to put 
thee to death." 

32. But he said to them, " Go, and tell that fox, ' be- 
hold, I cast out fiends, and I work cures to-day and to- 
morrow, and on the third day I finish my course. 

33. Moreover, it behoveth me to go forward to-day, 
to-morrow, and the next day ; for it cannot be that a 
prophet perish out of Jerusalem.' 

34. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem — thou that slayest the 
prophets, and stonest those that are sent to thee, how 
often have I sought to gather together thy children, as a 
hen doth her nestlings under her wing, and thou wouldst 
not. 

35. Behold, your house shall be left to you desolate. 
And verily I say to you, ye will not see me till the day 
come, when ye shall say, blessed be he that cometh in the 
name of the Lord" 

(v. 30.) The Gentiles now are last, but will be first, supplying 
the place of the rejected Jews. 



280 LUKE. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE DOCTRINE AND PRIDE OF THE PHARISEES : 
PARABLES AND PRECEPTS. 

1. Now it happened one sabbath that he went to the 
house of a leading man among the pharisees, to eat bread, 
and that they watched him. 

2. And behold a man with a dropsy stood before him. 

3. And Jesus took occasion to say to the lawyers and 
the pharisees, " Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day ?" 

4. But they held their peace ; and he, taking hold of 
him, healed and dismissed him. 

5. And turning his discourse to them, he said : " Which 
of you, if his ass or his ox fall into a pit, will not imme- 
diately draw him out on the sabbath day?" 

6. And they could make him no answer to this. 

7. Moreover, observing how the guests chose the first 
places at table, he spake to them a parable in these 
words. 

8. " When thou hast been bidden to a wedding, lay 
thee not down in the highest place, lest one of greater 
quality than thyself have been bidden by him. 

9. And he that bade both him and thee, come and say 
to thee, ' Give place to this man f and thou begin to put 
up with the lowest place, in disgrace. 

10. But when thou hast been bidden, go, lay thee 
down in the lowest place ; so that when he who bade 
thee, come, he may say to thee, ' Friend, go up higher.' 
Then wilt thou receive honour before thy fellow-guests. 

11. For every one that exalteth himself, shall be hum- 
bled; and he that humbleth himself, shall be exalted." 



LUKE. 281 

12. Moreover, to him who had bidden him, he said: 
" When thou makest a dinner or supper, bid not thy 
friends, nor thy brothers, nor kinsfolk, nor neighbours 
that are rich, lest they bid thee in return, and thou 
receive a recompense. 

13. But, when thou makest a feast, bid the poor, the 
maimed, the lame, and the blind. 

14. And happy shalt thou be, because they have not 
wherewith to recompense thee ; for thy recompense shall 
be given at the resurrection of the righteous." 

15. Now one of the company at table, hearing this, 
said to him, " Happy is the man, who shall feast in the 
kingdom of God." 

16. But he said to him : " A certain man made a great 
supper, and bade many. 

17. And against the supper time, he sent a bondman 
of his, to tell those who had been bidden, to come, 
because every thing was ready. 

18. But all of them began in concert to make excuse. 
The first said to him, ' I have bought a field, and must 
go and see it. I pray thee, excuse me.' 

19. And a second said, ' I have bought five yoke of 
oxen, and am going to try them. I pray thee, excuse 
me.' 

20. And another said, ' I have married a wife, and 
therefore cannot come.' 

21. And the bondman, on his return, told these things 
to his lord. And the master of the house said to his 
bondman, in anger, c Go immediately into the streets 
and lanes of the town, and bring in the poor, and 
maimed, and blind, and lame.' 

22. And the bondman said, ' Sir, thy orders have been 
executed ; but there is still room.' 



282 LUKE. 

23. And the lord said to the bondman, ' Go into the 
highways and to the hedges, and force them to come in, 
that my house may be filled. 

24. But I tell you, not one of those that were bidden, 
shall taste of my supper.' " 

25. Now crowds of people travelled along with him, 
and he turned and said to them : 

26. " If any one come to me, and hate not his father, 
and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and 
sisters, and, what is more, his own life also, he cannot be 
my disciple. 

27. And he that beareth not his cross, and cometh not 
after me, cannot be my disciple. 

28. For who among you meaneth to build a tower, and 
doth not first sit down to calculate the necessary expense, 
whether he have enough to complete it. 

29. Lest, after he hath laid the foundation, if he be 
unable to complete it, all the lookers on should begin to 
laugh at him, 

30. And say : ' This man began to build, but was 
unable to finish.' 

31. Or what king, meaning to wage battle with an- 
other king, doth not first sit down and consider, how 
with ten thousand men he may encounter him, who is 
coming against him with twenty thousand. 



(v. 24.) This parable is prophetic of the rejection of the Jews, 
and of the call of the Gentiles. The Jews were invited by the pro- 
mulgation of Christianity. They refused, and the three reasons 
assigned in the parable of the sower, are the same as the excuses 
here, that is, the riches, the cares, and the pleasures of life. On 
their refusal, the offer was made to the Samaritans, the neighbours 
of the Jews, who expected also the Messiah, and after them to the 
Gentiles, who were still less prepared than the Samaritans for the 
reception of the gospel. 



LUKE. 283 

32. And, if he cannot, he will send an embassy, and 
seek an accommodation while the other is still at a 
distance. 

33. Thus, then, no one of you, if he doth not renounce 
all that he possesseth, can be my disciple. 

34. Salt is good. But if the salt lose its savour, with 
what shall it be seasoned. 

35. It becometh unfit for the land, or the dunghill, 
and is cast out of doors. He that hath ears to hear, let 
him hear." 



CHAPTER XV. 

THE LOST SHEEP AND THE PRODIGAL SON. 

1. Now certain tax-gatherers and sinners drew near to 
hearken to him ; 

2. And the pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, 
" This man admitteth sinners, and eateth with them." 

3. When he spake to them this parable, saying, 

4. " What man is there among you, who, if he have a 
hundred sheep, and lose one of them, doth not leave the 
ninety-nine in the desert, and go in search of that which 
was lost, until he find it. 

5. And when he hath found it, doth he not lay it with 
joy on his shoulders, 

6. And returning home, call together his friends and 
neighbours, saying to them, ' Rejoice with me, for I have 
found my sheep which was lost.' 

1 . I say to you, that in the same manner there will be 
joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, rather than 

(v. 33.) The Hebrew christians were called upon to renounce 
all things in effect, others in affection only : that is, inasmuch as 
they may interfere with the service of God. 



284 LUKE. 

over ninety-nine righteous men, who stand not in need 
of repentance. 

8. Or what woman, possessed of ten drachms, if she 
lose one, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, 
and search diligently, till she find it? 

9. And when she hath found it, call together her 
friends, and neighbours, saying, ' Rejoice with me, for I 
have found the drachm which I had lost.' 

10. In the same manner, I say to you, will the angels 
of God rejoice over one sinner that repenteth." 

1 1. Moreover, he said : " A certain man had two sons. 

12. And the younger of them said to his father, ' Fa- 
ther, give me that portion of the estate, which falleth to 
me.' And he parted his living between them. 

13. And a short time after, the younger got together 
all his property, and went away into a country far dis- 
tant; and there he wasted his substance by living riot- 
ously. 

14. And when he had spent it all, there happened a 
mighty famine in that land, and he began to be in want. 

15. And he went and applied himself to one of the 
inhabitants of that land, who sent him to his farm, to be 
his swineherd. 

16. And he would fain have filled his belly of the 
husks which the swine ate, but no one gave to him. 

17. And entering into himself, he said, * How many 
hired workmen in the house of my father have more 
bread than enough, while I am perishing of hunger. 

18. I will rise and go to my father, and say to him, 
1 Father, I have sinned against heaven and before thee. 



(v. 8.) Ten drachmas— ahout 6s. 3d. 

(v. 16.) Swineherd. This to a Jew must have been the lowest 
possible degradation ; for swine were unclean animals, and objects 
of abomination to the Jews 



LUKE. 285 

19. I am no longer worthy to be called thy son ; but 
use me as one of thy hired workmen.' 

20. And he arose and went to his father. And while 
he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved 
with pity ; and running, fell on his neck, and kissed him 
kindly. 

21. And the son said to him : ' Father, I have sinned 
against heaven and before thee ; nor am I any longer 
worthy to be called thy son.' 

22. But the father said to his slaves : ' Bring forth the 
best robe, and put it on him ; and place a ring on his 
hand, and shoes on his feet. 

23. And lead forth the fatted calf, and kill it : let us 
eat, and make merry. 

24. For this my son was dead, and is come to life ; he 
was lost, and hath been found.' And they began to make 
merry. 

25. Now his elder son was in the field. And as he 
came back, and drew near to the house, he heard the 
music and dancing. 

26. And calling to him one of the slaves, he asked the 
meaning of this. 

27. And he answered : ' Thy brother is returned, and 
thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath 
received him in health.' 

28. And he was angered, and would not go in : the 
father, therefore, came out, and entreated him. 

29. But he said in answer to his father : ' Lo, for so 
many years have I served thee, without ever transgressing 
thy commands ; yet thou hast never given me a kid to 
make merry with my friends. 

30. But the moment this son of thine is returned, he 
who hath devoured thy living in the company of harlots, 
thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.' 



286 LUKE. 

31. But he said to him : 'Son, thou art with me at all 
times ; and whatsoever I have, is thine. 

32. Yet there was cause to make merry and rejoice, 
because this thy brother was dead, and is come to life ; 
he was lost, and hath been found.' " 



CHAPTER XVI. 

THE DECEITFUL STEWARD : THE BOND OF MATRIMONY: 
THE RICH MAN AND THE POOR MAN. 

1. He said, moreover, to his disciples : " There was a 
certain rich man, who had a steward ; and he was ac- 
cused to him of having wasted his property. 

(v. 32.) By preachers and moralists this beautiful parable has 
always been considered as descriptive of the readiness with which 
the divine mercy receives into favour the repentant sinner. But 
if this be all, why was the second part added, in which the elder 
son expresses his dissatisfaction at the reception given to his 
brother? Do the righteous on earth, or the blessed in Heaven, 
repine at the conversion of their sinful brethren ? Hence there 
have, in all ages, been expositors who have considered it as pro- 
phetic of that which was to happen soon after the establishment of 
Christianity. According to them, the two brothers are the two 
races of Jews and Gentiles. The latter left their father's house by 
abandoning the worship of the true God, indulged their vicious 
propensities, and sunk into an abyss of wickedness and error. 
From this miserable state they were aroused soon after the first 
preaching of the gospel, returned to their father's house by submit- 
ting to baptism, and were received by him and treated as favourite 
children. This, however, as we learn from Scripture, gave umbrage 
to the Jewish Christians, who, still proud of their privilege of being 
the children of Abraham, could with difficulty be reconciled to a 
state of things in which the Gentiles were placed on an equality 
with themselves. There is, however, one point in this exposition 
in which the parallel seems to fail. The prodigal son returned in 
consequence of his own reflection on his misery, the Gentiles in 
consequence of the invitation of others; he of his own accord, 
they at the suggestion of the apostles and the missionaries. 



LUKE. 287 

2. And calling him, he said to him : ' What is this 
that I hear of thee ? Give an account of thy stewardship ; 
for now thou canst be steward no longer.' 

3. But the steward said within himself: ' What shall 
I do, since my lord taketh from me the stewardship ? To 
dig I have not strength, and to beg I am ashamed. 

4. I know what I will do ; that, when I am removed 
from the stewardship, people may receive me into their 
houses.' 

5. And calling to him each one of the debtors of his 
lord, he said to the first : 6 How much dost thou owe to 
my lord ?' 

6. But he said : * One hundred baths of oil.' And he 
said to him : ' Take thy note, sit down quickly, and write 
fifty.' 

7. Then he said to another : ' And thou, how much 
dost thou owe ?' But he said : c One hundred cors of 
wheat. And he said to him : ' Take thy note, and write 
eighty.' 

8. And his lord gave to the deceitful steward the praise 
of having acted with foresight. For the children of this 

(v. 5.) It was one of the duties of the oucovofAog, or steward of 
the household, to distribute to all the members of the family, who 
were generally very numerous, their monthly allowance of provi- 
sions. Hence he had considerable dealings in these articles ; and 
that, as appears from the sequel, with persons who were bound 
by written agreements to furnish them in certain proportions. 
They were the debtors here mentioned. 

(v. 6.) Baths — fjarovg — cados. The bath was a measure of 
liquids among the Jews, about seven gallons and a half English. 

{v. 7.) Cors — Kopsg — coros. The largest measure among the 
Jews ; about seventy- five gallons English. 

(v. 8.) Deceitful — tt}q clSikiciq — iniquitatis. I have here, and 
in verses 9 and 11, rendered it deceitful, and not unjust, because 
in v. 11, it is plainly opposed to the word true. 



288 LUKE. 

world are more provident in their pursuits than the chil- 
dren of light. 

9. Now I also say to you, make to yourselves friends 
with the mammon of deceit, that, when ye fail, they may 
receive you into the everlasting mansions. 

10. He that is faithful in a little matter, will also he 
faithful in a greater ; and he that is faithless in a little 
matter, will also be faithless in a greater. 

11. If then ye have not been faithful (stewards) of the 
deceitful mammon, who will trust you with the true? 

12. And, if ye have not been faithful in (that which 
was) another's, who will give to you (that which was to 
have been) your own ? 

13. No slave can serve two lords : for either he will 
hate the one and love the other, or he will hold fast to the 
one and set at nought the other. Ye cannot serve God 
and mammon." 

14. Now the pharisees, men covetous of wealth, also 
heard all these things ; and they made a mockery of him. 



(v. 8.) In their pursuits — eig rrjv ysveav rrjv savruiv — in gene- 
ratione sua. When yevea began to mean the duration of life, it 
might easily pass on to mean the occupations of that life. This 
expression is thus explained by S. Basil, i. 283, eig rr/v Siefayioyriv 
Ti)Q £(i)rjg ravTT)Q rrjg kv (rapid. 

(v. 11.) That is, if ye have been faithless stewards of the wealth 
of this world, do not expect that God will trust you with the wealth 
of the next. 

(v. 12.) The wealth of this world committed to your care, was 
God's. If you abuse that trust, he will never give you the reward 
which would have been yours. 

(v. 13.) Mammon. It is often asserted that Mammon was the 
god of riches, worshipped by the Eastern nations. But of this 
there is no proof. It meant wealth. " Mammona sermonc Syriaco 
divitise nuncupantur." S. Hieron. cp. ad Algasiam. 



LUKE. 289 

15. But he said to them: " Ye justify yourselves 
before men, but God knoweth your hearts : yea, that 
which is in high esteem with men, is an abomination in 
the sight of God. 

16. (Ye had) the law and the prophets until John : but 
since his time ' the kingdom of God ' is announced, and 
whoever entereth, entereth it by force. 

17. It is easier that heaven and earth should pass 
away, than that one jot of the law should fail. 

18. Everyman, who divorceth his wife, and marrieth 
another, committeth adultery ; and he that marrieth the 
woman divorced from her husband, committeth adultery." 

19. " Now there was a certain rich man, who was clad 
in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every 
day. 

20. And there was also a certain poor man, called 
Lazarus, who lay at his gate, and was covered with sores : 

21. Who would fain have satisfied himself with the 
crumbs which fell from the table of the rich man, but no 
one gave him them. Even the dogs used to come and 
lick his sores. 

22. Now it came to pass that the poor man died, and 
was conveyed by angels into the bosom of Abraham. 
And the rich man also died, and was buried. 

23. And in the nether world, where he was in tor- 
ments, raising up his eyes, he saw Abraham at a distance, 
and Lazarus in his bosom. 

(v. 19.) This parable was spoken in illustration of the doctrine 
laid down in vv. 11, 12. The reader will see the application in 
the different lot in the next world, of the rich man and the poor. 

(v. 23.) And in the nether world. By some accident, the con- 
junction and has been lost in the Latin, so that we read there that 
the rich man was buried in Hell, or in the nether world 

U 



290 LUKE. 

24. And he said with a loud cry, ' Father Abraham, 
have pity upon me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip 
the tip of his finger in water, to cool my tongue : for I 
am tormented in this flame.' 

25. But Abraham said : ' Son, remember that thou 
hadst good things for thy portion in life, and Lazarus in 
like manner had evil things; but now he is in comfort, 
thou in pain. 

26. And besides all this, there lyeth a huge gulf 
between us and you ; so that those who would, cannot 
pass hence to you, nor come thence to us.' 

27. Then he said : ' At least I pray thee, father, send 
him to my father's house, 

28. (For I have five brothers) to bear testimony to 
them ; that they may not also come to this place of 
torment.' 

29. But Abraham said to him : ' They have Moses and 
the prophets; let them hear them.' 

30. And he said : ' Nay, father Abraham ; but if any 
one should go to them from the dead, they would repent.' 

31. But he said to him : ' If they will not hear Moses 
and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, if one 
were to rise from the dead.' " 



CHAPTER XVII. 

OF SCANDAL: THE FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES : 
THE COMING OF CHRIST. 

1 . He said, moreover, to his disciples : " It cannot be 
but that causes of sin will happen ; but wo to him by 
whom they happen. 

2. It were a benefit to him, if a millstone were hung 



LUKE. 291 

at his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than 
he should be the cause of sin to one of these little ones. 

3. Look well to yourselves. If thy brother offend 
against thee, rebuke him ; and, if he repent, forgive him. 

4. And if seven times in the day he offend against thee, 
and seven times in the day turn to thee, and say, * I re- 
pent,' forgive him." 

5. And the apostles said to the Lord, " Increase our 
faith." 

6. But the Lord said : " If ye have faith as a grain of 
mustard seed, ye may say to this sycamine, ' Be thou 
taken up by the root, and transplanted into the sea,' and 
it will obey you. 

7. But who among you, if he have a slave at the plough 
or in the pasture, will say to him immediately on his 
return from the field, ' Pass by, and lie down to table?' 

8. Or will not say to him, ' Prepare my meal, gird 
thyself, and wait on me while I eat and drink ; and thou 
shalt eat and drink afterwards. ' 

9. Will he be under obligation to that slave, because 
he hath done as he was ordered ? 

10. I imagine not. So likewise, ye, when ye have 
done what hath been ordered you, say, ' We are bondmen 
who confer no obligation : we have (only) done that 
which we were bound to do.' " 



{vv. 3, 4.) Repent. The use of the word peravoev in these two verses, 
shews, first, that it ought not to be translated, as some will have it, 
to reform ; secondly, that in the vulgate pcenitere, and p<snitentiam 
agere, bear the same signification. 

(v. 6.) See Matt. xvii. 20, note. 

{v. 10.) Who confer, <Sfc. — ayglioi — inutiles. This passage is 
generally rendered, we are unprofitable servants. But certainly 
the servant or slave, who carefully performs the orders of his 

tj 2 



294 LUKE. 

27. They ate and drank, they married and were given 
in marriage, to the day in which Noah entered the ark : 
then the deluge came and destroyed them all. 

28. In like manner also, as it happened in the days of 
Lot, they ate and drank, they bought and sold, they 
planted and built ; 

29. But on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire 
and sulphur from heaven, and destroyed them all. — 
Gen. xix. 24. 

30. So will it be on the day, in which the Son of man 
shall be revealed. 

31. On that day, if a man be on the house top, and his 
goods within, let him not descend into the house, to take 
them away : and in like manner let not the man who is 
in the field, turn back to the things behind. 

32. Remember the wife of Lot. 

33. He that shall seek to save his life, shall lose it; 
and he that shall lose his life, shall quicken it. 

34. I say to you, on that night there shall be two on 
the same bed : one shall be taken, the other shall be 
let go. 

35. There shall be two women grinding together ; one 
shall be taken, the other shall be let go : there shall be 
two men in the field ; one shall be taken, and the other 
shall be let go." 

36. This gave them occasion to say to him, " Where, 
Lord?" 

37. And he said to them, "Wheresoever the carcass 
lieth, there will the eagles be gathered together." 



LUKE. 295 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE UNJUST JUDGE : THE PHARISEE AND THE PUBLI- 
CAN : OF CHILDREN : OF THE RICH : OF THE FOL- 
LOWERS OF CHRIST: CURE OF A BLIND MAN. 

1. Moreover he spake a parable to them, (shewing) that 
they ought to persist in prayer, and not to despond ; 

2. Saying, " There was in a certain town a certain 
judge, who feared not God, nor regarded man. 

3. Now there was in the same town a certain widow, 
who came to him, saying, i Do me justice against mine 
adversary.' 

4. And for some time he would not. But afterwards 
he said within himself: ' Though I fear not God, nor 
regard man, 

5. Yet on account of the trouble which this widow 
giveth me, I will do her justice, that she may not be per- 
petually coming to annoy me.' " 

6. Then the Lord said : " Hear ye what the unjust 
judge sayeth. 

7. Now will not God do justice to his elect who cry to 
him day and night, although he may seem slow to (right) 
them? 

8. I say to you, he will do them justice quickly — 
though, when the son of man shall come, will he, think 
ye, find belief in the land ? 

{v. 7 ' , 8.) His elect cried to him day and night during the per- 
secutions which they suffered in Judea and Galilee after his ascen- 
sion. He did them justice, by the punishment inflicted on their 
persecutors by the Romans during the war. That was the time of 
his coming ; and then he found but little faith in the land, so much 
had his followers there been reduced in number by the severity of 
their enemies, perhaps through the despair of his coming. The 
object of this parable was to support the courage of the Jewish 
Christians amidst their trials. 



296 LUKE. 

9. Moreover, to some persons who were persuaded of 
their own righteousness, and looked down with contempt 
on the rest, he addressed this parable. 

10. " Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one 
a pharisee, the other a tax-gatherer. 

11. The pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: 
' O God, I give thee thanks, that I am not as the rest of 
men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, nor even as this 
tax-gatherer. 

12. I fast twice in the week, I pay tithes of all that I 
acquire.' 

13. But the tax-gatherer, standing at a distance, pre- 
sumed not even to raise his eyes to heaven, but smote 
upon his breast, and said : ' O God, be thou merciful to 
me the sinner.' 

14. I say to you, this man went down to his home in 
a state of righteousness rather than the other : for every 
man that exalteth himself shall be humbled, and whoso- 
ever humbleth himself shall be exalted." 

15. They also brought infants to him that he might 
touch them. Now the disciples, noticing it, rebuked 
them. 

16. But Jesus called them to him, and said : " Let the 
little children come to me, and do not hinder them : for 
to such belongeth the ' kingdom of God.' 

17. Verily I say to you, that whosoever doth not re- 
ceive ' the kingdom of God ' like a little child, will never 
enter it." 



(v. 21.) That is, he that raised] himself in his own estimation, 
shall be lowered in that of God; and he who lowers himself in his 
own estimation, shall be raised in that of God. 



LUKE. 297 

18. Now a certain ruler asked him, saying, " Good 
master, what must I do to inherit everlasting life ?" 

19. But Jesus said to him, " Why dost thou call me 
good ? None is good but one, (that is) God. 

20. Thou knowest the commandments. Thou shalt 
not commit adultery, thou shalt not commit murder, 
thou shalt not commit theft, thou shalt not bear false 
testimony, honour thy father and mother." 

21. But he said, " All these things have I kept from 
my childhood." 

22. Then Jesus, hearing this, said to him, " Yet one 
thing is wanting to thee. Sell all whatsoever thou hast, 
and give it to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in 
heaven. Then come and follow me." 

23. At these words he grew sorrowful, for he was very 
rich. 

24. But Jesus observing his sorrow, said : " How diffi- 
cult it is for men of wealth to enter ' the kingdom of God.' 

25. It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a 
needle than for a rich man to enter ' the kingdom of God.' " 

26. And those who heard him said, " Who then can 
be saved." 

27. But he replied : " What is impossible with men, is 
possible with God." 

28. Then Peter said ; " Lo, we have forsaken all things 
and followed thee." 

29. And he replied : " Verily I say to you, no one for- 
saketh his home, or parents, or brothers, or wife or chil- 
dren, for ' the kingdom of God,' 

30. Who shall not receive much more at this time, and 
everlasting life in the world to come." 



(v. 30.) This was verified in the nascent Church of Jerusalem, 
where all things were common to all. 



298 LUKE. 

31. Moreover Jesus took the twelve apart, and said to 
them, " Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and all those 
things will be accomplished, which have been written by 
the prophets, concerning the son of man. 

32. For he will be delivered up to the Gentiles, and 
will be mocked and scourged, and spit upon. 

33. And after they have scourged him, they will put 
him to death, and on the third day he will rise again." 

34. But they understood nothing of this ; and this 
word was hidden from them ; and they knew not the 
meaning of what had been said. 

35. Now it happened, that when he came near to 
Jericho, a certain blind man sate begging by the way- 
side. 

{v. 35.) When he came near to Jericho — iv tu> kyyi^eiv avrov 
kiQ 'lepi-^co — cum appropinquaret Jericho. The rendering of the 
Vulgate gives the obvious meaning of the original, the same in 
which St. Luke employs the phrase kyyL&iv Ilq in other passages, 
as xix. 29 ; xxiv. 28. But, according to St. Mark, the miracle 
was wrought, not as he came near to, but as he went out of, 
Jericho. Mark x. 46. See also Matt. xx. 29. To reconcile the 
two narratives, this passage has been rendered by some, as he drew 
near (to Jerusalem) at Jericho ; by others, whilst he was in the 
neighbourhood of Jericho. Now, admitting that the words of the 
Evangelist are susceptible of either of these interpretations, (which 
is very doubtful) still nothing will be gained. For it is plain from 
the whole narrative of St. Luke, that he meant us to understand, 
that Jesus performed the cure of the blind man, as he entered 
Jericho. The order of the facts according to him is the following : 
1. the miracle; 2. the entry into Jericho, xix. 1 ; 3. the meeting 
of Jesus and Zacchaeus, v. 5 ; 4. the dinner at the house of Zac- 
chaeus ; 5. the discourse of our Saviour there, v. 1 1 ; 6. his de- 
parture from Jericho for Jerusalem, v. 28. He could not, there- 
fore, understand the cure to have taken place after our Saviour 
had left Jericho. Perhaps, to solve the difficulty, we ought to be 
better acquainted with the locality. It may be, that one speaks of 
the district, the other of the town, of Jericho ; and that these were 
so situated, that you could not leave the district on your way to 
crusalcm, without passing through the town. 



LUKE, 299 

36. And hearing the people pass by, he asked what 
the matter was. 

37. And they told him, that Jesus of Narazeth was pass- 
ing by. 

38. And he called out, saying, u Jesus thou son of 
David, have pity upon me." 

39. And those who went first, rebuked him, to make 
him hold his peace. But he cried out the more, " Thou 
son of David, have pity upon me." 

40. And Jesus stopped, and ordered him to be brought 
to him. And when he came, he asked him, saying, 

41. " What wouldest thou that I do to thee ?" But he 
said ; " Lord, that I may see again." 

42. And Jesus said to him ; " See again, thy faith hath 
healed thee." 

43. And immediately he recovered his sight, and fol- 
lowed him, giving glory to God. And all the people^ 
seeing it, gave praise to God. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

HISTORY OF ZACCH^US : OF THE COMING OF THE 

KINGDOM OF GOD : THE ENTRANCE OF JESUS 

INTO JERUSALEM. 

1. Then he entered, and was passing through Jericho; 

2. When lo, a man by name Zacchaeus, the chief of the 
tax-gatherers, one who was wealthy, 

3. Sought to see what manner of man Jesus was ; but 
he could not, on account of the crowd, because he was low 
of stature. 

4. And running before, he climbed up into a sycamore 
tree to see him, because he was to pass that way. 



300 LUKE. 

5. Now Jesus, when he came to the place, looked up, 
aud seeing him, said to him ; " Zacchaeus, come down 
speedily, for to day I must tarry at thy house." 

6. And he came down speedily, and received him joy- 
fully. 

7. And all who saw it, murmured, saying, that he had 
gone to be a guest at the house of one who was a sinner. 

8. But Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord : "Behold, 
Lord, I give the half of my property to the poor ; and, if 
I have wrongfully charged any man I make him compen- 
sation fourfold." 

9. And Jesus said of him : " To day is salvation come 
to this house ; forasmuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 

10. For the son of man came to seek and to save that 
which was lost." 

11. While they listened to these words, he spake to 
them a parable in addition, because he was near to Jeru- 
salem, and they supposed that the ' kingdom of God' 
would be made manifest immediately. 

12. He said then, " A certain man of quality was 
going into a distant country, to receive the sovereignty, 
and to return. 



[v. 12.) A part at least of this parable appears to have been 
taken from real history. For Archilaus, the last who reigned in 
Judea, had been obliged, on the death of his father, Herod the 
Great, to proceed to Rome and solicit the sovereignty from the 
Emperor Augustus, and there his suit was opposed by a deputa- 
tion of fifty persons sent by the people of Judea. He succeeded, 
however ; and, from what we know of his cruel disposition and 
subsequent conduct, we cannot doubt that, on his return, he would 
wreak his vengeance on his opponents. But whether any transac- 
tion took place between him and the officers, who managed his 
affairs in his absence, similar to that mentioned in the parablr, we 
have no means of knowing. 



LUKE. 301 

13. And he called ten of his bondmen, and giving to 
them ten pieces of gold, he said, ' Employ them in 
traffic till my return.' 

14. But the natives hated him, and sent a message 
after him, in these words : ' We will not have this man 
for king over us.' 

15. Now it happened that, after he had obtained the 
sovereignty, he returned, and ordered those to whom he 
had given the money to be called, that he might know 
what profit each one had made. 

16. And the first came forward, and said, ' Lord, thy 
piece hath gained in addition ten pieces.' 

17. And he said to him, ' Well done, good bondman, 
because thou hast been faithful in a small matter, thou 
shalt have the government of ten townships.' 

18. And the second came, saying: ' Lord, thy piece 
hath gained five pieces.' 

19. And to him he said: ' And thou shalt have the 
government of five townships.' 

20. And another came, saying : ' Lord, behold thy 
piece, which I have kept laid up in a napkin. 

21 . For I was afraid of thee, because thou art a hard 
man, who takest up what thou didst not put down, and 
reapest what thou didst not sow.' 

22. He said to him, ' Thou evil slave, out of thine own 
mouth do I judge thee. Thou knewest that I am a hard 
man, who take up what I have not put down, and reap 
what I have not sown. 

23. Why then didst thou not place my money at the 



{v. 13.) I have substituted pieces of gold for the mna of the 
original, because it is a denomination of money with which few 
readers are acquainted. Its value was about £7. 10s. 



302 LUKE. 

bank, that on my return I might have demanded it back 
with interest V 

24. And he said to the standers by, ' Take from him 
his piece, and give it to him who hath the ten pieces.' 

25. And they said to him, ' Lord, he hath ten pieces.' 

26. ' For I say to you, that to every one that hath, 
(more) shall be given ; and from him that hath not, even 
what he hath shall be taken away. 

27. But as for those mine enemies, who would not 
have me for king over them, bring them hither, and slay 
them outright before me.' " 

28. And when he had said this, he led the way up to 
Jerusalem. 

29. Now it happened, that on his approach to Beth- 
phage and Bethania, at the mountain called ' of Olives,' 
he sent forward two of his disciples, 

30. Saying, " Go to the village which is over against 
you, and at your entrance you will find the colt of an ass 
tied, on which no man ever sate. Loose and bring him. 



(v. 27.) The Evangelist, in v. 11, informs us that this parable 
was spoken to correct the false notion among the disciples, that 
the kingdom of God was to be made manifest immediately. It 
was not likely that many of them could understand it then, and 
accordingly we find from their acclamations on our Lord's entry 
into Jerusalem, that they still retained the same expectation. The 
more intelligent, however, would understand from it, that he was 
previously to go somewhere to receive the kingdom ; and, when 
they afterwards saw him ascend into heaven, would fully compre- 
hend the meaning of this part of the parable ; and from its accom- 
plishment would live in the confident expectation of his return to 
punish his enemies according to the conclusion. At the same 
time, the history of the account which the king at his return took 
of the conduct of his slaves, would induce them to employ to the 
best advantage the pieces of gold, that is, the supernatural gifts, 
which he had intrusted to their care. 



LUKE. 303 

31. And if any one ask you why ye loose him, ye shall 
say to him, because the Lord hath need of him." 

32. And the messengers went, and found all as he had 
said. 

33. But when they were loosing the colt, his owners 
said to them, " Why are ye loosing the colt?" 

34. And they replied, " Because the Lord hath need 
of him." 

35. And they brought him to Jesus. And laying their 
cloaks upon the colt, they set Jesus on him. 

36. And, as he proceeded, they strowed their cloaks 
in the way. 

37. And on his approach to the descent of the mount 
of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began, with 
loud and joyful voices, to praise God for all the won- 
ders which they had seen. 

38. Saying, " Blessed is the king, who cometh in the 
name of the Lord ; peace in heaven, and glory on high." 

39. And some pharisees in the crowd said to him, 
" Master, rebuke thy disciples." 

40. He answered, " I say to you, that if they were 
silent, the very stones would cry out." 

41. Now, as he approached and saw the city, he wept 
over it, saying, 

42. " O that thou hadst known, at least on this thy 
day, the things which pertain to thy peace ; but now 
they are hidden from thine eyes. 

43. For the days are coming upon thee, when thine 
enemies will throw up an intrenchment about thee, and 
compass thee round, and shut thee up on every side, 

44. And will beat thee to the ground, and thy children 



304 LUKE. 

within thee, and not leave in thee a stone upon a stone ; 
because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation." 

45. And going into the temple, he began to cast out 
the buyers and sellers, 

46. Saying to them, " It is written, my house is a house 
of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves." — Is. lvi. 
7 ; Jer. vii. 11. 

47. Now he taught daily in the temple. And the 
chief priests and scribes, and the leaders of the people, 
sought to destroy him, 

48. But the means of doing it they could not devise. 
For all the people hearkened to him, and hung on his 
words. 



CHAPTER XX. 

OF THE BAPTISM OF JOHN : THE REBELLIOUS HUS- 
BANDMEN : AND THE PAYMENT OF TAXES TO 
THE ROMANS. 

1. Now it came to pass on one of these days, as he was 
teaching in the temple, and announcing the good tidings, 
that there came upon him the chief priests and scribes 
and elders, 

2. And said to him, " Tell us by what authority thou 
dost these things? or who it was that gave thee this au- 
thority.' 

3. But Jesus made answer, " I have also one question 
to ask you. Answer me. 

4. The baptism given by John, was it from heaven or 
of men ?" 

5. But they consulted among themselves, saying : " If 



LUKE. 305 

we say, from heaven, he will say, why then did you not 
believe him ? 

6. And if we say, of men, all the people will stone us : 
for they are convinced that John was a prophet.' ' 

7. And they answered that they knew not whence it 
was. 

8. And Jesus said to them, " Neither do I tell you by 
what authority I do these things." 

9. Then he began to address this parable to the people. 
u A certain man planted a vineyard, and farmed it out to 
husbandmen, and went abroad for a long time. 

10. And at the season he sent a bondman to the hus- 
bandmen, that they might render to him part of the pro- 
duce of the vineyard : who scourged him and sent him 
away empty. 

11. In addition he sent another bondman : and him 
also they scourged, and treated shamefully, and sent 
away empty. 

12. Nevertheless he sent a third : but him they woun- 
ded and cast out. 

13. Then the lord of the vineyard said : " What shall I 
do? I will send my son, my beloved, surely, when they 
see him, they will have respect for him." 

14. But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned 
among themselves, saying ; " He is the heir. Let us kill 
him, that the inheritance may be ours." 

15. And they cast him out of the vineyard, and put 
him to death. Now what will the Lord of the vineyard 
do to them ? 

16. He will come, and destroy these husbandmen, and 
give his vineyard to others." But they when they heard 
this, said to him, " God forbid," 

x 



306 LUKE. 

17. But he looked stedfastly on them, and said, " What 
then meaneth that which hath been written, the stone 
which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of 
the corner. — Ps. cxvii. 22. 

18. He that shall fall on that stone, shall he sorely 
bruised : and he, on whom it shall fall, shall be crushed 
to atoms." 

19. Now the chief priests and the scribes sought at 
that moment to lay their hands on him, but feared the 
the people. For they knew that he had spoken this pa- 
rable of them. 

20. However they watched him, and suborned certain 
spies, who pretending to be men of righteousness, should 
lay hold of his words to deliver him up to the power and 
authority of the governor. 

21. And they put this question to him : " Master, we 
know that thou speakest, and teachest uprightly : that 
thou hast no respect of persons, but teachest the way of 
God in truth. 

22. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not ?" 

23. But he, aware of the artifice, said to them : " Why 
do ye make this trial of me. 

24. Shew me a denarius. Whose image and inscrip- 
tion doth it bear?" They answered, " Caesar's." 

25. And he said to them : " Render therefore- to Caesar 
the things which are Caesar's, and to God, the things 
which are God's." 

26. Now, as they could not blame this reply to the 
people, in wonder at his answer they held their peace. 

27. Then there came to him some of the Sadducees, 



LUKE. 307 

who deny that there is any resurrection, and they ques- 
tioned him, 

28. Saying : " Master, Moses ordered us, that if any 
man's married brother should die without a child, the 
brother of the deceased should take the widow to wife, 
and raise up issue to his brother. 

29. Now there were seven brothers and the first mar- 
ried a wife and died childless. 

30. And the second married the widow, and he also 
died childless. 

31. And the third married her: and in like manner all 
the seven : but they left no issue, and died. 

32. Last of all the woman herself died. 

33. At the resurrection then, whose wife will she be : 
for the seven had her for wife ?" 

34. And Jesus said to them : " The children of the 
present state marry and are given in marriage. 

35. But they, who shall be thought worthy of that 
state, and of the resurrection from the dead, shall neither 
marry, nor be given in marriage. 

36. For they can die no more : they will be like the 
angels : they will be the children of God, because they 
are the children of the resurrection. 

37. But that the dead do rise again, Moses signifieth 
at the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abra- 
ham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. — 
Exod. iii. 6. 

38. Now it is not of the dead that he is God, but of 
those that live. For to him they are all alive." 

39. And some of the scribes said to him in answer, 
" Master, thou hast spoken well." 

40. Nor did they dare to ask him questions after this. 

x2 



308 LUKE. 

41. But he said to them : " How come they to call the 
Messiah the son of David ? 

42. Even David himself in the hook of psalms sayeth ; 
the Lord said to my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, 

43. Until L make thine enemies thy footstool. 

44. David then calleth him his Lord : and how can 
he he his son?" 

45. Then in the hearing of the people, he said to his 
disciples, 

46. " Beware of the scribes, who like to walk about in 
robes, and love salutations in the market-places, and the 
first seats in the synagogues, and the highest places at 
entertainments. 

47. And eat up the households of widows, and pretend 
to make long prayers. These shall receive a more plen- 
tiful punishment." 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM. 

1. Then, as he looked up, he saw rich men putting 
their gifts into the treasury ; 

2. And he also saw a poor widow putting into it two 
mites. 

3. And he said, " Of a truth I tell you, this poor widow 
hath put in more than all (the others). 

4. For all they, out of their superfluity have put into 
the offerings to God ; but she out of her very want, hath 
put in the whole livelihood, which she had." 

5. Moreover, when some observed of the temple that 



LUKE. 309 

it was adorned with goodly stones, and consecrated offer- 
ings, he said ; 

6. "The days will come, when of the things which ye 
see, not a stone will be left upon a stone, that will not 
be disjointed." 

7. But they asked him, saying : " Master, when will 
these things happen, and what will be the sign when 
they are about to be ?" 

8. And he said : " Take heed that ye be not deceived. 
For many will come in my name, saying, c I am he ; and 
the time is at hand :' go ye not after them. 

9. And when ye shall hear of wars and insurrections, 
be not affrighted. These things must happen first : but 
the end will not be immediately. 

10. Then," said he, " nation will rise against nation, 
and kingdom against kingdom ; 

11. And there will be great earthquakes in sundry 
places, and pestilences, and famines, and frightful sights, 
and great prodigies in the heavens. 

12. But before all these things, will they cast hands 
upon you, and persecute you, and deliver you up 
to synagogues and prisons, and drag you before kings 
and rulers, for my name's sake. 

13. Now this shall happen to you that you may bear 
testimony. 

14. Lay this up, therefore, in your hearts, that ye study 
not beforehand how ye may defend yourselves. 

15. For I will give you utterance and wisdom, which 
all your adversaries will be unable to gainsay or resist. 

16. But ye will be delivered up by your parents, and 
brothers, and kindred, and friends : and some of you they 
will put to death, 



310 LUKE. 

17. And ye will be hated of all men for my name's sake. 

18. Now not a hair of your head shall perish. 

19. And by your endurance ye shall preserve your 
lives." 

20. " When, however, ye shall see Jerusalem surrounded 
by an army, know then that her destruction is at hand. 

21. Then let those that are in Judea, flee to the moun- 
tains; let those, who are in the midst of her, go out, and 
let not those who are in the country, come into her. 

22. For these are the days of vengeance, for the accom- 
plishment of all that hath been written. 

23. But wo to the women who are with child, and 
who give suck in those days ; for there will be great dis- 
tress upon the land, and wrath upon this people. 

24. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and 
will be led captive among all nations ; and Jerusalem 

(v. 18, 19.) In the preceding verses, our Saviour foretells a 
persecution in which several would be put to death. How then 
can he say here that they would preserve their lives, and that not 
a hair of their heads would perish ? These passages refer to dif- 
ferent times. 1. They were not to be alarmed at the report of 
wars and insurrections. For such were only the beginning of the 
troubles. 2. They were to expect persecution to follow. 3. After 
the persecution would come the days of divine vengeance on their 
persecutors : during which days the Christians who had persevered 
in the faith, would save their lives, whilst the Jews would lose 
theirs. 4. They were to look on the presence of a hostile army 
surrounding Jerusalem, as the sign of approaching vengeance, and 
to flee immediately for their own security. Then their deliverance 
from persecution would be at hand. The whole is an instruction 
to the Christians in Judea, how to provide for their own security 
on the invasion of their country by the Romans. 

(v. 19.) Preserve. See Matt. x. 22 ; xxiv. 13; Mark, xiii. 13. 

(v. 21.) Midst of her — that is, of the city. 

(v. 24.) If credit may be given to the numbers in Josephus, the 
Jews of all descriptions slain from the year 66 to the siege, 



LUKE. 311 

will be trodden under foot of the Gentiles, till the times 
of the Gentiles shall be accomplished. 

25. And there will be signs, in sun, and moon, and 
stars, and on the land distress of nations, through despair 
at the roaring of the sea and the waves. 

26. And men will faint away through fear and expec- 
tation of what is about to come over the land ; for the 
powers of heaven will be shaken. 

27. And then they will see the son of man coming on 
a cloud, with great might and glory. 

28. Now when these things begin to happen, look up, 
and lift up your heads ; for your deliverance is at hand.'' 

29. And he spake to them a parable : " Look at the 
fig-tree, and all trees. 

30. When they bring forth produce, ye know that the 
harvest is near. 

31. So, when ye see these things happen, know that 
' the kingdom of God' is near. 

32. Verily I say to you, this generation shall not have 
passed away, before they are all accomplished. 

33. The heavens and the earth will pass away ; but 
my words will not pass away. 

34. But look well to yourselves, that your hearts be 

amounted to 180,000; and during the siege in 70, to 1,100,000 ; 
and those led captive to 97,000. De Bello, vi. 9. That part of 
Jerusalem situated on Mount Sion was spared, as it had not shared 
in the contest : in place of the rest a new city sprung up in the 
neighbourhood : but both became the dwelling place of Gentile 
nations, and have remained so to the present day. 

{v. 26.) The land — rrj ohovjuiyr] — universo orbi. Here, as in 
c. ii. ], the Latin translator takes the Greek word to mean the 
whole earth, though here, as well as there, it seems to mean only 
the land of Judea, or the country inhabited by the Jewish nation. 



312 LUKE. 

not weighed down with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and 
the cares of life ; so that that day come upon you una- 
wares. 

35. For it will come like a net over all, who sit on the 
face of the whole land. 

36. Watch ye therefore, praying at all times, that ye 
may be accounted worthy to escape all these coming 
evils, and to stand before the son of man." 

37. Now during the day time he taught in the temple, 
but at night he left it, and passed the time on the moun- 
tain called of Olives. 

38. But the people, early in the morning, thronged to 
hear him in the temple. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

THE LAST SUPPER : THE APPREHENSION OF JESUS. 

1. Now the feast of unleavened bread, called the pass- 
over, was nigh. 

2. And the high priests and scribes sought to devise 
some means of putting him to death ; for they feared the 
people. 

3. Then Satan entered into Judas called the Iscariot, 
one of the twelve. 

4. Who went and spake to the high priests and cap- 
tains, about the manner of his delivering him to them. 

5. And they were glad, and bargained to give him a 
sum of money. 

6. And he made an agreement, and sought an oppor- 
tunity of delivering him to them without (the presence 
of) the people. 



LUKE. 313 

7. And the day of unleavened bread came, in which 
the passover was to be slain. 

8. And he (Jesus) sent Peter and John, saying, " Go, 
and make ready the passover, that we may eat it." 

9. But they said to him, " Where wilt thou that we 
make it ready ?" 

10. He replied, " Behold, as ye go into the city, a man 
will meet you, carrying a pitcher of water : follow him 
into the house to which he is going. 

11. And say to the master of the house, ' The master 
sayeth to thee, where is the guest-room, in which I may 
eat the passover with my disciples.' 

12. And he will shew you an upper room, large and 
furnished. There make ready." 

13. And they went, and found as he had told them, 
and made ready the passover. 

14. And when the hour came, he lay down to table, 
and the twelve apostles with him. 

15. And he said to them, " I have had a longing desire 
to eat this passover with you, before I suffer. 

16. For I tell you, that henceforth I shall never more 
eat thereof, till it hath been accomplished in the ' king- 
dom of God.' " 

17. And taking a cup, he gave thanks and said, " Take 
and share it among you. 

18. For I say to you, that I will not drink of the pro- 
duce of the vine, till ' the kingdom of God ' shall be 
come." 

19. And taking bread, he gave thanks, and brake, and 
gave it to them, saying; "this is my body, the (body) 
given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 

(v. 19.) Do this for a remembrance of me. The reader will 
observe that this is an injunction to the apostles to do what our 



314 LUKE. 

20. In like manner (he gave) the cup after supper, say- 
ing : " This cup is the new covenant in my blood ; the 
(cup) poured out for you. 

21. Nevertheless, behold, the hand of the man, who 
will betray me, is with me on the table. 

22. And the son of man, indeed, goeth, as hath been 
decreed : but wo to that man, by whom he is betrayed." 

23. And they began to inquire among themselves, 
which of them it could be, that would do this thing. 

24. And there arose a dispute among them respecting 
the question, which of them seemed to be the greater. 

25. And he said to them ; " The kings of the nations 
lord it over them : and the despots over them are called 
benefactors. 

26. Let it not be so with you. But let the greater 
among you be as the last, and the ruler as the serving 
man. 

27. For which is the greater, he who lyeth at table, or 
he who serveth ? Is it not he who lyeth ? Yet I am in the 
midst of you as one who serveth. 

28. But ye have adhered to me in my trials ; 

29. And I, as my father hath assigned a kingdom to 
me, 

blessed Lord had just done, in memory of him : that is, to conse- 
crate the bread : for the words were uttered before he took the 
wine, and blessed it. Did he not also command them to conse- 
crate the wine ? — Undoubtedly. Yet not one of the evangelists 
mentions any such command. Even that which regards the con- 
secration of the bread is omitted by the other three. How are we 
to reconcile such omissions with the opinion of those who pretend 
that it was the object of these four narratives to leave to the dis- 
ciples of the apostles, and through them, to succeeding generations, 
a full account of all the doctrines and precepts delivered by our 
blessed Lord. 



LUKE. 315 

30. So do I assign to you, to eat and drink at my table 
in my kingdom, and to sit upon thrones, rulers over the 
twelve tribes of Israel." 

31. Then the Lord said ; " Simon, Simon, Satan hath 
claimed you, to sift as wheat : 

32. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail 
not : and do thou, when thou hast returned (to thy duty) 
strengthen thy brethren." 

33. But he said, " Lord, I am ready to go with thee 
both to prison and to death." 

34. And he replied : " I tell thee, Peter, the cock will 
not crow to-day, before thou wilt have thrice denied that 
thou knowest me." 

35. And he said to them, " When I sent you without 
bag, or scrip, or sandals, did you find a want of anything ?'' 

36. They said " No." " But now," said he, " let him 
who hath a bag, take it ; and in like manner a scrip ; and 
he that hath not a sword, let him sell his cloak and buy 
one. 

37. For I tell you, that writing hath yet to be fulfilled 
in me, and he was reckoned with the wicked. (Is. liii. 12.) 
For the predictions concerning me are coming to an end." 

38. But they said, C6 Lord, behold there are two swords 
here." And he replied, " It is enough." 

(v. 32.) His faith failed not: for he fell not through want of 
faith, but want of courage. The rest of the verse is prophetic of 
his repentance, and confirmatory of him in his office of leader of 
the apostles, notwithstanding his fall. 

(v. 34.) To-day. The reader must remember that, in the 
Jewish day, the evening preceded the morning. 

(v. 38.) The meaning of this and the three last verses is, that, 
whilst Christ was with them, he took care that they should not be 



316 LUKE. 

39. Aud departing, he went according to his custom 
to the mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 

40. And when he was come to the place, he said to 
them ; " Pray that ye may not yield to temptation." 

41. Then he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, 
and falling on his knees, he prayed, 

42. Saying, " Father, O that thou would'st take this 
cup away from me : nevertheless not my will but thine 
be done." 

43. And there appeared to him an angel from heaven 
supporting him : 

44. And being in anguish he prayed more intensely : 
and his sweat became as drops of blood trickling down 
on to the ground. 

45. And when he rose from prayer, and came to his 
disciples, he found them asleep through sadness. 

46. And he said to them ; " Why do ye sleep ? Arise 
and pray, that ye yield not to temptation." 

47. Now, while he was yet speaking, behold a mul- 
titude (came) : and the man called Judas, one of the 
twelve, advanced before them, and approached to kiss 
Jesus. 

48. But Jesus said to him, " Judas, dost thou betray 
the son of man with a kiss ?" 

49. And those with him, seeing what was to happen, 
said to him, " Lord, shall we smite with the sword ?" 



in want or clanger : now that he was about to be taken from them, 
they must look to their own safety. They misunderstood him, 
and took his words literally. His reply, " It is enough," shewed 
that they were in error, but that he did not think it worth while to 
expose that error at the moment. 

[v. 40.) Yield to temptation. Literally, enter into temptation, 
which, according to the Hebrew idiom, means not only to be 
exposed to trial, but to enter into, or yield to, the views of the 
tempter. 



LUKE. 317 

50. And one of them smote a bondman of the high 
priest, and cut off his right ear. 

51. And Jesus said in answer : " Hold, no more :" and 
touching his ear, he healed him. 

52. Then Jesus said to the high priest, and captains 
of the temple, and the elders, who had come against him, 

53. " Are ye come out with clubs and swords, as if 
I were a robber ? Though I was with you day by day in 
the temple, ye laid not your hands upon me. But this 
is your hour, and this the power of darkness." 

54. But they seized, and led him into the house of the 
high priest, and Peter followed them at a distance. 

55. And, when they had kindled a fire in the midst of 
the court, and sate down together, Peter also seated him- 
self in the midst of them. 

56. And a certain maiden seeing him by the light as 
he sate, and fixing her eyes on his face, said, " This man 
was also with him." 

57. But he disowned him, saying, " Woman, I know 
him not." 

58. And a little later, another man seeing him said : 
" Thou also art one of them :" but Peter said, " Man, I 
am not." 



(v. 51.) Hold, no more — ears siog tovts — sinite usque hue. 
The conjecture of Kype, that these words are addressed to the 
Jews, seems to me inconsistent with the preceeding words, " Jesus 
said in answer." They were addressed to Peter and his compa- 
nions, and were intended to restrain them from offering any addi- 
tional resistance : tug tovth may mean " unto this time," or " this 
place," or " this man." I take it to mean, " Do no more ; thus 
far you have gone : it is sufficient." 

{v. 53.) This is your hour. The allusion is to the time of night 
when they seized him. During the day-time they dared not 
touch him : it was that hour of darkness which placed him in 
their power. 



318 LUKE. 

59. And about an hour afterwards, another person 
strongly affirmed the same ; "Of a truth this man was 
with him : for he is also a Galilean." 

60. And Peter said, " Man, I know not what thou 
meanest." And immediately, while he was yet speaking, 
the cock crowed. 

61. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter: and 
Peter called to mind what the Lord had said to him ; 
" Before the cock crow, thou wilt disown me thrice." 

62. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. 

63. Now, the men, who had the custody of Jesus, 
mocked him, and struck him. 

64. And having blindfolded him, they smote him on 
the face, and asked him, saying, " Reveal who it was 
that struck thee." 

65. And many other abusive sayings they uttered 
against him. 

66. And when the day broke, the council was assem- 
bled of the elders, and the high priests, and the scribes ; 
and they led him into the Sanhedrin, saying, " Art thou 
the Messiah? Tell us." 

67. But he said to them : " If I tell you, ye will not 
believe. 

68. And if I ask a question, ye will not answer, 
nor discharge me. 

69. But henceforth the son of man will be seated on 
the right hand of the power of God." 

70. And they all said ; " Art thou then the son of 
God ?" But he said to them ; " As ye say, so I am." 

71. Then they said, " What need have we of more tes- 
timony ? We have heard it ourselves from his own 
mouth." 



LUKE. 319 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

THE DEATH OF CHRIST. 

1. Now the whole body of them rose, and led him to 
Pilate. 

2. And they began to accuse him in these words: " We 
have found this man turning the nation from its duty, 
and forbidding the payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying 
that he himself is Messiah the king. 

3. Then Pilate put this question to him : " Art thou 
the king of the Jews ?" And he made answer to him : 
" I am." 

4. And Pilate said to the high priests and the people, 
" I find no guilt in this man." 

5. But they persisted saying, " He stirreth up the 
people, teaching throughout all Judea, having begun in 
Galilee, and (continued) as far as this city." 

6. At the mention of Galilee, Pilate asked if the man 
was a Galilean. 

7. And when he learned that he belonged to the go- 
vernment of Herod, he sent him to Herod, who was also 
in Jerusalem at that time. 

8. Now Herod rejoiced exceedingly at the sight of 
Jesus. For he had long wished to see him, on account 
of the many reports which he had heard of him. And he 
hoped to see some wonder wrought by him. 

9. And he put to him abundance of questions : but he 
made him no answer. 

10. And the high priests and scribes stood by, accusing 
him with vehemence. 

11. Then Herod and his guards treated him with 
scorn, and robed him in mockery with a shining garment, 
and sent him back to Pilate. 



320 LUKE. 

12. And on that clay Pilate and Herod became friends : 
for before they had been enemies to each other. 

v 

13. But Pilate calling together the high priests, and 
the rulers, and the people, 

14. Said to them; "Ye brought before me this man, 
as if he turned the people from their duty, and behold, I 
have examined him in your presence, and have not 
found him guilty of any of those things wherewith you 
charge him. 

15. Nor Herod either : for I sent you to him. Behold 
then, since he hath done nothing to deserve death, 

16. I will chastize and discharge him." 

17. Now he was obliged to discharge one (prisoner) 
during the festival. 

18. But they cried out all-together; "Away with him, 
and discharge to us Barabbas :" 

1 9. — One who had been cast into prison on account 
of a riot and a murder in the city. 

20. And Pilate addressed them again, wishing to dis- 
charge Jesus. 

21. But they cried out aloud, " Crucify him, crucify 
him." 

22. And he spake to them a third time ; " But what 
evil hath he done ? I have found nothing deserving of 
death in him, I will therefore chastize, and discharge 
him." 

23. But they persisted with loud shouts, demanding 
that he should be crucified : and their clamour and that 
of the high priests prevailed. 

24. Then Pilate gave judgment, and granted their 
petition. 



LUKE. 321 

25. He discharged, as they had asked, the man who 
had been imprisoned for the riot and murder; but Jesus 
he delivered up to their pleasure. 

26. And, as they led him away, they took hold of one 
Simon of Cyrene, returning from his field, and laid on 
him the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus, 

27. Now a great multitude of the people and of women 
followed him : and the latter moaned and bewailed him. 

28. And Jesus turning to them, said : " Ye daughters 
of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves 
and your children. 

29. For behold the days are coming, in which they 
will say, ' Happy are the barren ; the wombs that have 
not borne, and the breasts that have not suckled.' 

30. Then will they begin to say to the mountains, * fall 
upon us,' and to the hills, ■ Cover us.' 

31. For if the green wood be treated thus, how will it 
fare with the dry ?" 

32. Now two other men, malefactors, were led to exe- 
cution with him. 

33. And when they had come to the place, called Cal- 
vary, there they fixed him to the cross, and the malefactors 
one on his right hand, and the other on his left. 

34. But Jesus said, " Father, forgive them, for they 
know not what they are doing." They then parted his 
garments, and cast lots (for them). 

{v. 31.) If I, who am innocent, suffer thus, how will it fare 
with the guilty ? — Is not this an allusion to the subsequent cruci- 
fixion of the Jews day after day by the Romans, when, as it is 
described by Josephus, the multitude of the executed was so great, 
that room was wanting for the crosses, and crosses for the bodies. 
Jos. Be Bell v. 11. 

Y 



322 LUKE. 

35. And the people stood looking on, and mocked him, 
they and the rulers with them, saying ; " He saved others, 
let the man save himself, if he be the Messiah, the chosen 
one of God" — Is. xlii. I. 

36. And the soldiers also made sport of him, coming to 
him, and offering him vinegar, 

37. And saying, " If thou art the king of the Jews, 
save thyself." 

38. And there was written above him an inscription in 
Greek, Roman, and Hebrew letters, this is the king 

OF THE JEWS. 

39. But one of the malefactors that hung there reviled 
him thus, " If thou art the Messiah, save thyself and us." 

40. And the other in answer rebuked him in these 
words, " Hast thou then no fear of God, though thou art 
condemned to the same punishment ? 

41. And we, indeed justly : for we receive what our 
works have deserved : but he hath done nothing wrong." 

42. And he said to Jesus : " Remember me, O Lord, 
when thou comest in thy kingdom." 

43. And Jesus said to him : " Verily I say to thee, this 
day shalt thou be with me in paradise." 

44. This was about the sixth hour : and darkness 
covered the whole land till the ninth hour. 

45. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the 
temple was rent in the middle. 

46. And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and said, 
" Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." And 
with these words, he breathed his last. 

47. Andthc centurion, observing what had passed, gave 
glory to God, and said, " Surely this was a righteous 
man." 

48. And all the multitude which had gathered together 



LUKE. 323 

to behold this sight, having observed what had passed, 
returned home smiting their breasts. 

49. But all his acquaintance, and the women that had 
accompanied him from Galilee, had stood at a distance, 
and were eye-witnesses of these things. 

50. Behold, however, a man by name Joseph, being 
one of the council, but a good and a righteous man — 

51. For he had given no consent to the consultations 
and deeds of the others — a native of Arimathsea a town 
of Judea,andone who also looked for ' the kingdom of God,' 

52. He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. 

53. And having taken him down, he wrapped him in 
a linen cloth, and laid him in a sepulchre hewn out of 
a rock where never before man was laid. 

54. Now it was the day of preparation, and the hour of 
the sabbath was drawing on. 

{v. 54.) The Friday, or day preceding the Sabbath, was called 
the day of preparation, because on that day the Jews made pre- 
paration to keep the Sabbath rest. That rest began at sunset. 
We are told by Josephus (Be Bel. iv. 9) that a priest was stationed 
on the summit of the temple to watch the descent of the sun ; and 
that the moment that luminary disappeared, he announced the 
event by sound of trumpet, which could be heard over the whole 
city. Then the precept was understood to be in force. When, 
therefore, the evangelist informs us that the Sabbath was drawing 
on, we must understand that he speaks of the afternoon about an 
hour before sunset, since the women had time to return from the 
sepulchre, and to make the necessary preparations of spices and 
balsams before the Sabbath. But the expression which he makes 
use of is extraordinary — /3a/3/3arov kirityaaKE — Sabbatum illucesce- 
bat — the Sabbath dawned. Now to dawn is to begin to shew 
forth light, whereas in this case the light was gradually sinking 
into darkness. The most plausible conjecture is, that being 
accustomed to say that the day dawns, to express that it was about 
to begin, he used the same word to express the beginning of the 
Sabbath, without recollecting at the moment its primary significa- 
tion. We do something of the same kind, when we make morning 
calls in the afternoon. 

Y2 



324 LUKE. 

55. And the women who had come up from Galilee 
with him, followed, and saw the sepulchre, and in what 
manner his body was laid. 

56. And returning, they prepared spices and ointments ; 
and rested during the sabbath according to the command- 
ment. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

THE RESURRECTION. 

1. But on the' first day of the week, very early in the 
morning, they went in company with some others, to the 
sepulchre, carrying the spices which they had prepared. 

2. Now they found the stone rolled away from the 
sepulchre, 

3. But going in, they found not the body of the Lord 
Jesus. 

4. It happened, however, that while they were at a 
loss to account for this, lo, two men, in dazzling gar- 
ments, stood by them ; 

5. And as they, stricken with fear, bent their faces to 
the ground, said to them, 

6. " Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is 
not here, but is risen. Remember how he told you, while 
he was yet in Galilee, 

7. That the son of man had to be delivered into the 
hands of sinners, and to be crucified, and to rise again on 
the third day." 

8. Then they recollected his words; 

9. And returning from the sepulchre, related all these 
things to the eleven, and to all the rest. 

(v. 1.) In company with some others. These words are not in 
the Vulgate. 



LUKE. 325 

10. Now the women who told these things to the 
apostles, were Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary 
the mother of James, and the others that were with them. 

11. But their account appeared to them an idle tale, 
and they gave no credit to them. 

12. Peter, however, rose, ran to the sepulchre, and 
stooping down, saw only the linen lying in it. And he 
returned wondering within himself at what had happened. 

13. Behold, moreover, two of them were walking on 
that same day to a village called Einmaus, about sixty 
furlongs from Jerusalem, 

14. And were talkiug to one another about all these 
events. 

15. Now it happened that, in the midst of their con- 
versation and reasoning, Jesus himself approached and 
walked in company with them. 

16. But their eyes were withholden from knowing him. 

17. And he said to them : " What is the subject of 
your debate in your walk ? And why are ye sorrowful 
of countenance ? 

18. But the one, whose name was Cleophas, returned 
him this answer ; " Art thou alone a stranger in Jerusa- 
lem, so as to be ignorant of what hath happened there 
these days past r" 

19. And he said, " What?" But they replied, " Of the 
fate of Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, powerful 
in word and work before God and all the people. 

20. How our high priests and rulers delivered him up 
to judgment of death, and fixed him to a cross. 

21. But we hoped that he was the person about to re- 
deem Israel. Now in addition to all this, to-day is the 
third day since these things happened, 



326 LUKE. 

22. And some of our women have surprized us, who 
going early in the morning to the sepulchre, 

23. And not rinding his body, have returned saying, 
that they had seen a vision of angels, who told them that 
he was alive. 

24. And some men of our body went to the sepulchre, 
and found things so as the women had described, but 
him they discovered not." 

25. Then he said to them; " O ye dull of understanding, 
and slow of heart to believe all the things spoken by the 
prophets. 

26. Was it not decreed that the Messiah should suffer 
these things, and enter into his glory ?" 

27. And beginning from Moses, through all the pro- 
phets, he interpreted to them the passages respecting him 
in the whole scripture. 

28. But now they were near the village to which they 
were going, and he made as if he were going farther. 

29. But they pressed him, saying ; " Stay with us, for 
it is growing towards evening, and the day is far spent." 
And he went in to stay with them. 

30. Now it came to pass, that while he was lying at 
table with them, he took bread and blessed it, and brake 
it, and gave it to them. 

31. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him : 
but he vanished from their sight. 

32. And they said to each other, " Did not our hearts 
burn within us, as he talked to us in the way, and ex- 
plained to us the scriptures ?" 



(v. 24). In v. 12, the evangelist mentioned Peter alone as going 
to the sepulchre to examine it; yet we here see that he was aware 
that Peter was not the only one— a proof that in these writings the 
mention of one docs not necessarily exclude others. 



LUKE. 327 

33. And rising that very moment, they returned to Je- 
rusalem, and found the eleven and their companions 
gathered together, 

34. And saying " The Lord is certainly risen, for he 
hath appeared to Simon." 

35. And they related what had happened in their walk, 
and how he became known to them by the breaking of 
bread. 

36. Now while they were speaking, Jesus stood in the 
midst of them and said, "Peace be to you. It is I: 
fear not." 

37. But they were stricken with awe and fear, and 
thought that they saw a spirit. 

38. But he said to them, " Why are ye alarmed ; why 
do doubts rise in your hearts ? 

39. Look at my hands and my feet, for it is I myself : 
handle me and see : for a spirit hath not flesh and bones 
as ye see that I have." 

40. And as he said this, he showed them his hands 
and his feet. 

41. Still, as through joy and amazement, they expressed 
doubts, he said to them, " Have ye any thing here to eat?" 

42. And they gave him some broiled fish, and some 
honeycomb, 

43. Which he took and ate in their presence, giving 
them the remainder. 

(v. 34.) And saying. This must be understood of some, who 
drew that inference from the testimony of Simon : for we learn 
that there were still great doubts among them, which doubts the 
testimony of these two disciples did not remove. See Markxvi. 13. 

(v. 41.) Expressed doubts — a-maruvTiov — non credentibus. The 
evangelist could not mean that excess of joy, caused them to disbe- 
lieve ; but probably that in expressing their joy they used, as is 
common on similar occasions, such expressions as, that " it was 
impossible, — it could not be." 



328 LUKE. 

44. And he said to them, " These are the words which 
I spake to you, while yet I was with you, that every 
thing must be accomplished, which had been written 
concerning me in the law of Moses, and the prophets, 
and the psalms." 

45. Then he opened their minds to understand the 
scriptures, and said to them, 

46. " Thus it was written, and thus it behoved, that 
the Messiah should suffer, and rise from the dead on the 
third day. 

47. And that repentance and the remission of sins in 
his name should be announced to all nations, beginning 
from Jerusalem. 

48. Now ye are the witnesses of these things. 

49. And behold I send the promise of the Father upon 
you : and do ye abide in the city, till ye are clothed with 
power from on high." 

50. Then he led them forth as far as Bethania, and 
lifting up his hands, he blessed them. 

51. And it happened that, when he had blessed them, 
he was separated from them, and carried up into heaven. 

52. But they, having worshipped him, returned with 
great joy to Jerusalem ; 

53. And were continually in the temple, employed in 
praising and blessing God. Amen. 

(*;. 44.) These are the ivords— that is, now ye understand the 
words, &c. 



THE 

HOLY GOSPEL 



ACCORDING TO 



JOHN. 



If we may believe the consentient voice of an- 
tiquity, this John was the apostle of that name, 
who composed his gospel shortly before his death, 
and consequently about the end of the first cen- 
tury. The other three gospels were written 
before, this after, the destruction of Jerusalem : 
they, for the information of converts chiefly of the 
Jewish nation ; this, for that of converts chiefly 
among the Gentiles, to the end they might believe 
that Jesus was Messiah, the son of God (c. xx. 
v. 31J. Hence this evangelist dwells less on the 
destruction of Jerusalem ; is more careful to ex- 
plain the names, the feasts, and the customs pecu- 
liar to the Jews ; and seldom notices, or, if he 
does notice, speedily dismisses, the subjects already 
treated by the preceding evangelists, and intro- 
duces much new matter, the knowledge of which 
he derived from his own recollection of what he 
had himself heard or seen. 



330 JOHN. 

CHAPTER I. 

THE INCARNATION: THE TESTIMONY OF THE BAPTIST: 
THE FIRST DISCIPLES. 

1. At the beginning was 'the word;' and ' the word* 
was with God; and 'the word' was God. 

2. He was at the beginning with God. 

3. All things were made through him ; and without 
him was made nothing that was made. 

4. In him was life, that life which is the light of men. 

5. And the light shone in darkness ; but the darkness 
received it not. 

6. Now there was a man sent from God, whose name 
was John. 

(v. 1.) The word was God. In the original, the arrangement 
is different, deog r\v 6 Xoyog. 13ut I conceive, with most transla- 
tors, that the article points out the subject and not the predicate. — 
Here I may observe, that, to persons uninitiated in the doctrines 
of Christianity, this passage, and other obscure passages of the pre- 
sent Gospel, must have appeared unintelligible ; yet by the disci- 
ples of the evangelist, already acquainted with his language on 
such subjects, they would be easily understood. Their previous 
knowledge led them to the true explanation. At the present day, 
the readers of Scripture have generally imbibed certain religious 
notions from education before they sit down to the task; and then, 
unconsciously, perhaps, but very naturally, they explain every 
difficulty in accordance with those notions. Hence it happens 
that men of every persuasion find the confirmation of their peculiar 
opinions in the sacred volumes : for, in fact, it is not the Scripture 
that informs them, but they that affix their own meaning to the 
language of Scripture. 

(v. 1,2,3.) From these three verses the reader may form a 
notion of the repetitions and pleonasms, which form a distinguish- 
ing feature in the style of this Evangelist. 

(v. 5.) Received it not—ov KaTika/Se — non comprehenderunt. 
In c. xii. 35, the same word should be rendered to overtake or 
surprise. But ought it to be so rendered here ? Certainly not. 
Darkness cannot overtake the light that shines in it. The mean- 
ing, like that of v. 10, is, that the prejudices of the Jews did not 
permit them to receive the light or doctrine of Jesus. See iii. 19. 



JOHN. 331 

7. He came for a witness, to bear witness to the light, 
that all men might believe through him. 

8. Not that he was the light himself, but that he might 
bear witness to the light. 

9. There was the true light, which enlighteneth every 
man coming into the world, 

10. (That light) was in the world, but, though the 
world was made through him, the world knew him not. 

11. He came to his own (house), but his own (household) 
received him not. 

12. But on as many as did receive him, he bestowed 
the privilege of being the children of God, on those who 
believed in his name : 

13. (Children) born not of blood, nor of the desire of 
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 

14. And ' the word ' became flesh, and made his abode 
among us — for we have seen his glory, glory such as be- 
longs to the only begotten of the father — full of grace 
and truth. 

(v. 11, 12, 13.) These verses allude to the rejection of our 
Saviour by the Jewish nation, and the acknowledgment of him by 
individuals in that and other nations. 

(v. 14.^ The word became flesh — 6 \6yog (rapt, iyevsro. Hence 
it appears that the same ' word,' which is represented in v. 1, 2, 3, 
as an active, intelligent, and increated being, became man, and 
was known among men by the name of Jesus. Irenaeus, (ad 
Hcer. iii. 11J who wrote within a century after the death of the 
evangelist, assures us that this introduction was composed by St. 
John as an antidote to the errors of Cerinthus, teaching by it that 
God accomplished the redemption of mankind, through the same 
word by whom he had previously effected the creation. Why he 
was called the word, we can only conjecture. From the time of 
his resurrection to the destruction of Jerusalem, he seems to have 
been distinguished by the title of the Lord. See Matt, xxviii. 6 ; 
Mark xvi. 19, 20 ; Luke xi. 39, xvii. 6, xxiv. 34. But afterwards, 
as we learn from the book of Revelations, the king of kings, and 
lord of lords, was called the word of God; (Rev. xix. 13, \6) 



332 john. 

15. — It was of him that John witnessed, when he 
cried out and said ; " This was he of whom I said : 'He 
that is coming after me existed before me, for he is more 
ancient than I." — 

1(>. Of his fulness we have all received, even grace as 
a portion of his grace. 

17. For the law was (indeed) given by Moses : but 
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 

18. God no man ever saw. The only begotten son, 
he that dwelleth in the bosom of the father, he hath made 
him known. 

19. Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews 
sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who 
art thou ?" 

probably because he was to us the word of God, revealing to us 
the mysteries of religion ; for God no man ever saw. The only 
begotten son, he that dwelleth in the bosom of the father, he hath 
made him known. (John i. 18.J He was the word of life. (I 
John i. 3 J 

(v. 14.) We have seen his glory. This was at his transfigu- 
ration. 

(v. 15.) This verse of the testimony of John is parenthetical. 
It has been contended that l^irpoaQiv /is yiyovtv should be ren- 
dered, was preferred before me, otherwise, the reason which follows, 
would be a mere tautology. But tautologies are common with this 
evangelist ; and, if we go to vv. 27 and 30, we shall find that the 
baptist first said, " He that is coming after me existed before me," 
and that he afterwards alleged as his reason for using these words, 
that he was " More ancient than himself." In c. iii. 28, he employs 
the same word, tfjnrSoadiv, to denote priority of existence. 

{v. 16.) The evangelist had said that the f word' appeared among 
us full of grace and truth : he proceeds to say that of that fulness 
we have all received, grace of his grace, and of course truth of his 
truth : for Moses gave the law only ; grace and truth came by 
Jesus Christ. 

(v. 18.) He hath made him known. This is the truth which 
we have received also of his fulness. 



JOHN. 333 

20. He acknowledged, and did not deny ; he acknow- 
ledged, " I am not the Messiah." 

21. And they asked him, " What then art thou? Elias?" 
And he said, " No." " The prophet r" and he answered, 
" No." 

22. They said therefore to him, " Who art thou, that 
we may give an answer to those who sent us ? What say- 
est thou of theyself ?" 

23. He said, " I am the voice of him who cryeth in 
the wilderness, make straight the path of the Lord, as 
spake the prophet Isaias." — Is. xl. 3. 

24. Now the messengers were of the pharisees. 

25. And they asked, saying, " Why then dost thou bap- 
tize, if thou art not the Messiah, nor Elias, nor the pro- 
phet r" 

26. John answered them in these words. " I baptize 
with water, but there standeth in the midst of you one, 
whom ye know not. 

27. He is the one, that is coming after me, and existed 
before me ; the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to 
unloose." 

28. These things happened at Bethania on the Jordan, 
where John was baptizing. 



(v. 21.) The prophet — 6 Trpoty-qrriQ. What prophet ? We 
know not ; but it is plain that there was an expectation among the 
Jews, that both Elias and a great prophet would precede the 
coming of the Saviour. See also v. 25 ; and vi. 14. 

[v. 26.) / baptize with water. The reader is aware of the 
frequent use of baptism among the Jews. It was the remedy for 
legal uncleanness, the ceremony by which pagan proselytes were 
admitted among them ; an emblem of purification from the defile- 
ment of sin. Such was the baptism of John ; but he could do no 
more than wash with water : the person who baptized with the 
Holy Ghost was our Saviour. See v. 33. 



334 JOHN. 

29. The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him 
and said, " Behold the lamb of God, that taketh away the 
sin of the world. 

30. This is he of whom I said, c A man is coming af- 
ter me, who existed before me, because he is more ancient 
than L' 

31. I indeed knew him not : but, that he may be mani- 
fested to Israel, do I come baptizing with water." 

32. And John bare witness, saying, " I saw the spirit 
descend from heaven like a dove, and rest upon him. 

33. I indeed knew him not : but he that sent me to 
baptize with water, he said to me : i On whomsoever 
thou shalt see the spirit descend and rest, he it is that 
baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.' 

34. And I saw it, and I have borne witness, that 
he is the son of God." 

35. Again, the next day John was standing with two 
of his disciples, 

36. And seeing Jesus walk past, he said, " Behold the 
Lamb of God." 

37. And the two disciples heard his words, and went 
after Jesus. 

38. Then Jesus turned, and, when he saw them com- 
ing after him, said to them, 

39. " What is it that ye seek ?" But they said to him ; 
" Rabbi," which translated, meaneth master — " Where 
dost thou dwell ?" 



(v. 29.) The lamb of God. An allusion to the lamb slain at 
the passover, the blood of which, sprinkled on the door-posts of the 
houses, saved the inmates from the sword of the destroyer. Jesus 
was the real lamb, whose blood saved the souls of sinners from the 
just resentment of God. 



JOHN. 335 

40. He said to them, " Come and see." And they 
went and saw where he dwelt, and remained with him 
that day, it being about the tenth hour. 

41. Now one of the two who had been told by John, 
and had gone after him, was Andrew, the brother of 
Simon Peter. 

42. He first met his own brother Simon, to whom he 
said, " We have found the Messiah," which translated, 
meaneth the anointed. 

43. And he led him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon 
him, said : " Thou art Simon the son of Jonas : thou 
shalt be called Cephas," which is translated rock. 

4£. The next day Jesus purposed to go into Galilee, 
and meeting with Philip, he said to him, " Follow thou 
me." 

45. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the town of Andrew 
and Peter. 

46. Philip met with Nathanael, and said to him, " We 
have found Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth, the 
person described by Moses in the law, and by the 
prophets." 

47. But Nathanael said to him, " Can any good come 
from Nazareth ?" Philip replied, " Come and see." 

48. Now Jesus saw Nathanael, as he was coming to 



(v. 43.) The reason why our Lord, at his first interview with 
Simon, gave him the name of " Rock/' may be seen in St. Mat- 
thew xvi. 18. In Greek it has been translated Petros, from which 
we have formed Peter, the name generally given to him. Petros 
also means " rock." 

{v. 47.) Can any good. He makes this objection, because 
Nazareth is not named in the scriptures as the place whence the 
Saviour was to come. 



336 JOUN. 

him, and said of him, " Behold an Israelite indeed, one 
in whom there is no guile." 

49. Nathanael sayeth to him, " Whence dost thou 
know me ?" Jesus made answer, " I saw thee under the 
fig-tree, before Philip spake to thee." 

50. Nathanael replied, saying, " Rabbi, thou art the 
son of God, thou art the king of Israel." 

51. Jesus returned this answer, "Dost thou believe be- 
cause I said to thee, ' I saw thee under the fig-tree ?' 
Greater things than this shalt thou see." 

52. Then he said to him, "Verily, verily, I say to 
you : hereafter ye shall see the heavens opened, and the 
angels of God ascend and descend ujDon the son of man." 



CHAPTER II. 

THE MARRIAGE AT CAM : JESUS IN THE TEMPLE. 

1. Now on the third day there was a wedding at Cana 
of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 

2. And Jesus and his disciples were also asked to the 
wedding. 

3. And when the wine began to fail, the mother of 
Jesus said to him : " They have no wine." 



(y. 50.) Why did Nathanael break out into this confession ? 
Undoubtedly because what he had been doing under the fig-tree, 
which probably was praying, could not naturally be known to any 
mortal man. 

(v. 52.) We read of no instance in the gospels, when the apos- 
tles saw angels ascending and descending upon him : but then we 
also know that the gospels are but an imperfect record of the events 
of our Saviour's life. See the last verse in this gospel. 



JOHN. 337 

4. But Jesus said to her : " Woman what hast thou to 
do with me : my time is not yet come." 

5. His mother said to the waiters ; " Do whatsoever 
he may tell you." 

6. Now there were placed there six stone pitchers, 
containing two or three balks a piece, after the Jewish 
rite of purification. 

7. Jesus said to them, " Fill the pitchers with water." 
And they filled them to the brim. 

8. And Jesus said to them, " Draw out now, and 
carry to the master of the feast." And they carried it. 

9. But when the master of the feast had tasted the 
water which had become wine, — now he knew not whence 
it came, but the waiters who had drawn the water, 
knew, — the master of the feast called the bridegroom, 

10. And said to him : " Every one setteth his good 
wine before his guests at first, and that of worse quality 
when they have drunk freely : but thou hast kept thy 
good wine until now." 

11. This was the first of the miracles of Jesus, 
wrought by him in Cana of Galilee. And he manifested 
his glory, and his disciples believed in him. 



(v. 4.) That the use of the word woman was no token of dis- 
respect, appears from this, that he addressed her with the same 
appellation from the cross, when he entrusted her to the care of 
his beloved disciple, (John xix. 26). The same may be observed 
of the words, " what hast thou to do with me" — why dost thou 
interfere with me : " my time for manifesting myself is not yet 
come :" for Mary was so far from understanding them as a refusal, 
that she told the waiters to obey his commands, in expectation of 
a miracle. 

(y. 11.) This word glory is used by the evangelist not only in 
its usual meaning, but also to signify the supernatural powers with 
which our Saviour as man was invested for the purpose of his 
mission, or the manifestation of those powers in teaching and 



338 JOHN. 

12. After this, he went clown to Capharnaum, he and 
his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples, and re- 
mained there a few days. 

13. And, as the passover of the Jews was nigh, Jesus 
went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple the 
sellers of oxen, and of sheep, and of doves, and the 
changers of money on their seats. 

14. And, having made a whip of small cords, he 
drove all, both oxen and sheep, out of the temple, and of 
the money-changers, he scattered the coin, and overturned 
the tables. 

15. And to the sellers of doves he said, " Take these 
things away, and make not of my father's house a house 
of traffic." 

16. And his disciples remembered that it is written : 
" Zeal for thy house hath consumed me." Ps. lxviii. 10. 

17. But the Jews took occasion to ask, "What proof 
dost thou shew why thou doest this ?" 

18. And Jesus said in answer, " Destroy this sanctu- 
ary, and in three days I will raise it up again." 

19. Whereupon the Jews said ; " It took forty-six 
years to build this sanctuary, and wilt thou raise it up in 
three days?" 

20. But he spake of the sanctuary of his own body. 

21. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his 
disciples remembered that he had said this to them : 
and they believed the scripture, and the word spoken by 
Jesus. 

working miracles, or the proofs of the divine approbation given to 
him both before and after his death. In the same manner, to 
glorify God, means in this gospel to believe in God, or to do his 
will, or to suffer for his sake, or to instruct others in his law. The 
reader should bear these acceptations of the word in his mind, that 
he may understand the following pages. 



JOHN. 339 

22. Now, while he was at the passover in Jerusalem, 
many, during the feast, believed in his name, seeing the 
wonders which he wrought. 

23. But Jesus did not trust himself to them, on ac- 
count of the knowledge which he had of all men, 

24. And because he had no need of testimony respecting 
any man : for he knew what was in man. 



CHAPTER III. 

NICODEMTJS: JOHN THE BAPTIST. 

1. Now there was a man, a pharisee, by name Nico- 
demus, a ruler of the Jews ; 

2. Who came to Jesus by night, and said to him, 
" Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher commissioned 
by God : for no one could work the wonders which thou 
workest, if God were not with him." 

3. Jesus made him answer, " Verily, verily, I say to 
thee, unless a man be born again, he cannot see the 
< kingdom of God.'" 



(y. 2.) The secrecy with which Nicodemus visited Jesus, shews 
that he was ashamed or afraid of being known to hold communi- 
cation with him ; whence we may infer, that the believers in his 
name mentioned before, (ii. 23) were of the lower classes, and 
probably of those who had come to the feast from the country. 

{Ibid.) From this introductory speech it would seem, that 
though Nicodemus looked on our Saviour as a teacher divinely 
commissioned, he had no notion, or at least betrayed none, of his 
being the promised Messiah. 

(v. 3.) The words of our Saviour are plainly an answer to some 
question put by Nicodemus, but omitted by the evangelist. Pro- 
bably it regarded ' the kingdom of God,' or the expected reign of 
Messiah. To see the kingdom of God, and to enter into that 
kingdom, in v. 5, appear to have the same meaning. 

z 2 



340 JOHN. 

4. Nicodemus sayeth to him, " How can a man be 
born, when he is already old? Can he enter his mother's 
womb, and be born a second time ?" 

5. Jesus answered ; " Verily, verily, I say to thee, un- 
less a man be born again of water and the spirit, he cannot 
enter into 6 the kingdom of God.' 

6. What is born of the flesh, is flesh : but what is 
born of the spirit, is spirit. 

7. Wonder not that I said to thee, ye must be born 
again. 

8. The wind bloweth where it listeth ; and though 
thou nearest its voice, thou knowest not whence it com- 
eth, nor whither it goeth. Thus it is with every one 
born of the spirit." 

9. Nicodemus answered, " How can these things be ?" 

10. Jesus made reply : " Art thou the teacher of Israel, 
and ignorant of these things ? 

11. Verily, verily, I say to thee, we speak what we 



(v. 4.) Already old. In these words he certainly alludes to 
himself. May not his first question have been, whether he might 
expect ' to see the kingdom of God.' 

{y. 5.) The Greek copies do not read the words again or holy, 
which are found in the Latin. But their admission or rejection 
will make no difference in the sense. 

[v. 6.) It is therefore of a spiritual birth that I speak. 

(v. 8.) Thus it is with every one born of the spirit. Though 
the manner in which the spirit operates on the soul of man be un- 
known to you, yet the effect of that operation is visible in his 
conduct. 

(y. 10.) The teacher of Israel — 6 SilaffKaXog rov Tcpcu/X — ma- 
gister in Israel. The article in the Greek shews that Nicodemus 
was considered as a teacher of the highest eminence. 

{Ibid.) Ignorant of these things — ov yivwtrKeiQ. It appears to 
me, that in this and similar passages, yivJcxw means to under- 
stand. " Art thou the teacher, and yet dost not understand this ?" 



JOHN* 341 

know, and testify what we have seen. Yet our testimony 
ye will not receive. 

12. If, when I spake to you of things pertaining to 
the earth, ye believe not, how will ye believe, if I speak 
to you of things pertaining to heaven ? 

13. Now no one ascendeth into heaven, but he who 
descended from heaven, that is, the son of man who 
dwelleth in heaven. 

14. And as Moses lifted on high the serpent in the 
wilderness, so must the son of man be lifted on high, 

15. That every one, who belie veth in him, may not 
perish, but may have everlasting life. 

16. For God hath so loved the world, as to give his 
only begotten son, that every one, who believeth in him, 
may not perish, but may have everlasting life. 

17. For God hath not sent his son into the world to 
condemn the world, but that the world may be saved 
through him. 

18. He that believeth in him, will not be condemned : 
but he that believeth not, is condemned already; because 
he believeth not in the name of the only begotten son of 
God. 

19. And the cause of condemnation is this : that the 



(v. 12.) That is, if ye cannot understand so as to believe what 
I say to you of the regeneration of men, the inhabitants of your 
earth, how can it be expected that you will understand me, if I 
speak to you of the plans of the divine wisdom, in sending me 
here ? He proceeds, however, to state the secrets of that plan, in 
the following verses — viz. 

In v. 13, that he came from heaven, and will ascend to heaven 
hereafter. 

In v. 14, that he is to be raised on high — that is, crucified. 
See Numb. xxi. 6-9. 

In v. 15, that the object of his crucifixion is the salvation of 
believers. 



342 jqhd. 

light hath come into the world, and men have preferred 
the darkness to the light ; because their works were evil. 

20. For the man that worketh evil, hateth the light, 
and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be 
detected. 

21. But he that worketh truth, cometh to the light, 
that his works may be proved to have been wrought ac- 
cording to God." 

22. After this, Jesus and his disciples came into the 
land of Judea, where he tarried with them, and baptized. 

23. Now John was also baptizing in Ennon, near to 
Salim, because much water was there. And people 
came and were baptized. 

24. For John was not yet cast into prison. 

25. And a dispute arose between some of the disciples 
of John and the Jews about purification. 

26. And they came to John and said to him, " Rabbi, 
he who was with thee on the Jordan, to whom thou didst 
bear witness, behold he is baptizing, and all go to him." 

27. John made this reply, " No man can have autho- 
rity, unless it be given to him from heaven. 

28. You yourselves are witnesses that I said, ' I am not 
the Messiah, but one sent before him.' 

29. He that hath the bride, is the bridegroom. But 

(r. 21.) It will be seen, that in this discourse of our blessed 
Lord with Nicodemus, he only sows the seeds which are to fruc- 
tify afterwards : he informs him of truths which the Jew cannot 
understand now, but may understand later, when events shall 
strip them of the veil which now covers them. He intimates the 
end for which he came into the world, his crucifixion, his ascen- 
sion, and the admission of men into his kingdom by a spiritual 
birth, through the baptism of water, and the reception of the Holy 
Ghost. Events have enabled us to understand these particulars : 
to Nicodemus they must have appeared exceedingly enigmatical. 



JOHN. 343 

the friend of the bridegroom, who standeth and hearken- 
eth to him, is filled with joy at the voice of the bride- 
groom. This, my joy, is fulfilled. 

30. He must increase, I decrease. 

31. He that cometh from above, is above all. He that 
is of the earth, is earthly, and speaketh as of the earth. 
But he that cometh from heaven, is above all. 

32. That which he testifieth, is what he hath seen 
and heard : yet no one receiveth his testimony. 

33. But he that doth receive it, avoucheth the ve- 
racity of God. 

34. For he whom God hath commissioned, speaketh 
the words of God : for it is not by measure that God 
giveth the spirit (to him). 

35. The father loveth the son, and hath given all 
things into his hands. 

36. He that believeth in the son, hath everlasting life : 
but he who believeth not in the son, will never see life : 
but the wrath of God endureth upon him." 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE SAMARITAN WOMAN : MIRACLE AT CAPHARNAUM. 

1. When the Lord knew, that it was reported among 
the pharisees that he made more disciples, and baptized 
(moie) than John, 

2. Though in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but 
his disciples, 

3. He left Judea, and went again into Galilee. 

4. Now it was necessary that he should pass through 
Samaria. 

5. And he came into a township of Samaria, called 



341 JOHN. 

Sychar, near the plot of land which Jacob gave to his son 
Joseph. Gen. xxxiii. 19. 

6. Jacob's spring was there. So Jesus, weary with the 
journey, sate down by the spring. It was about the sixth 
hour. 

7. A woman of Samaria cometh to draw water, and 
Jesus sayeth to her, " Give me to drink." 

8. — For his disciples had gone into the town to buy 
provisions. — 

9. But the Samaritan woman sayeth to him, " How 
dost thou, Jew as thou art, ask to drink of me, who am 
a Samaritan woman ?" — For the Jews have no dealings 
with the Samaritans. 

10. Jesus made this answer: "Didst thou but know 
the gift of God (to thee), and who it is that sayeth to thee, 
( Give me to drink,' thou wouldst have asked (drink) of 
him, and he would have given thee spring water." 

11. The woman sayeth to him, "Thou hast no bucket, 
and the well is deep. Whence then canst thou have spring 
water? 

12. Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave 
us this well, out of which he drank, and his children, 
and his cattle ?' 

13. Jesus made answer, " Whosoever drinketh of this 
water, will thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the 
water which I shall give him, will not thirst for ever. 

14. But the water which I shall give him, will become 



[v. 6.) The sixth hour. That is, noon. 

{v. 9.) No dealings. The strongest antipathy existed between 
the two nations. The Samaritans had opposed the rebuilding of 
the Jewish temple in the reign of Cambyses, and established a 
rival temple on Mount Gcrizim, in the reign of Alexander the 
Great. 



JOHN. 345 

in him a spring of water gushing forth unto life ever- 
lasting." 

15. The woman sayeth to him, "Sir, give me this 
water, that I may neither thirst, nor come hither to draw." 

16. Jesus sayeth to her, " Go, call thy husband, and 
come back." 

17. The woman made answer, " I have no husband." 
Jesus sayeth to her, " Thou sayest well, / have no hus- 
band. 

18. For thou hast had five husbands, and he, whom 
thou hast now, is not thine. This thou hast spoken 
truly." 

19. The woman sayeth, "I see, Sir, that thou art a 
prophet. 

20. Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but ye 
say that at Jerusalem is the place where we ought to 
worship." 

21. Jesus sayeth to her, "Woman, believe me. The 
time cometh, when it shall be neither on this mountain 
nor at Jerusalem, that ye shall worship the Father. 

22. Ye worship without knowledge ; we worship ac- 
cording to knowledge : for salvation is of the Jews. 

23. But the time cometh, yea, it now is, when true 
worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and truth. 
For such worshippers the father seeketh. 

24. God is a spirit, and those who worship him, must 
worship in spirit and truth." 



(vv. 21-23.) Neither Jews nor Samaritans worshipped inspirit, 
for with both religion was made to consist in outward observances. 
Nor did the Samaritans worship in truth, for they had substituted 
the temple on Mount Gerizim for the temple in Jerusalem, and 
had probably polluted the Mosaic worship with pagan ceremonies, 



346 JOHN. 

25. The woman sayeth to him, " I know that Messiah 
is coming" — he that is called Christ — " When therefore 
he shall come, he will tell us all things." 

26. Jesus sayeth to her, " I that speak to thee, am he." 

27. At this moment his disciples came, and wondered 
that he was talking with the woman : but none said, 
" What dost thou want, or why dost thou talk with her?" 

28. The woman then left her pitcher, and went into 
the town, and said to the people, 

29. " Come and see a man who hath told me all that 
ever I did. Can he be the Messiah ?" 

30. In consequence they went out of the town, and 
came to him. 

31. Now, in the mean while, the disciples had prayed 
him, saying, " Rabbi, eat." 

32. But he said to them, " I have food to eat that ye 
know not of." 

33. Then the disciples said to each other, " Hath any 
one brought him food to eat ?" 

34. Jesus sayeth to them ; " My food is to do the will 
of him who sent me, and to finish his work. 

35. Do ye not say that it wants four months of the 
harvest coming ? ' Behold, I say to you, raise up your 
eyes, and look around in the fields, for they are already 
white for the harvest. 

36. And the reaper receiveth wages and gathereth 
fruit for life everlasting ; so that both the sower and the 
reaper may rejoice together. 



(v. 25.) He that is called Christ. These are the words of the 
evangelist, explaining to his readers the meaning of the word 
Messiah. As he docs not prefix the article to the word in Greet, 
I have omitted it in English. 



JOHN. 347 

37. For on this point the saying is true, one man soweth 
and another reapeth. 

38. I have commissioned you to reap where ye have not 
toiled ; others bore the toil, and ye have entered on their 
work." 

39. Now out of that town, many believed in him on the 
testimony of the woman, who said, he hath told me all 
that ever I did. 

40. And when the Samaritans came to him, they asked 
him to tarry with them ; and he tarried there two days. 

41. And many more believed on account of his own 
words, 

42. And said to the woman ; " We no longer be- 
lieve on account of thy report, for we ourselves have 
heard him, and are convinced that he is of a truth Mes- 
siah, the saviour of the world." 

43. At the end of the two days he departed, and pro- 
ceeded into Galilee. 

44. — For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet is 
not respected in his own country. — 

45. Now when he came into Galilee, he was received 
by the Galileans, who had seen all that he had done in 
Jerusalem during the festival — for they had gone to the 
festival. 

46. And Jesus went a second time to Cana of Galilee, 
where he had made the water wine. And there was a 
certain nobleman, whose son lay sick at Capharnaum. 

47. Having heard that Jesus was come out of Judea 

{v. 44.) This verse is inserted by way of parenthesis, to account 
for his going into Galilee, and not to Nazareth, where he pre- 
viously lived. 



348 JOHN. 

into Galilee, he went to him and besought him to come 
down, and heal his son : for he was at the point of death. 

48. But Jesus said unto him, " Unless ye see signs and 
wonders, ye will not believe." 

49. The nobleman sayeth to him, " Lord, come down 
ere my son die." 

50. Jesus sayeth to him, " Go thy way, thy son will 
live." And the man believed the word which Jesus had 
spoken to him and went his way. 

51. And as he was going down, some of his slaves met 
him, and told him " Thy son liveth." 

52. Then he inquired of them at what hour he grew 
better : and they said to him, " Yesterday at the seventh 
hour the fever left him." 

53. The father therefore knew that it was at that very 
hour that Jesus said to him, " Thy son will live :" and 
both he and all his household believed. 

54. This again made the second miracle which Jesus 
performed in Galilee, after his return out of Judea. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE POOL OR BATH OF BETHSAIDA : JESUS THE 
JUDGE OF ALL MEN. 

1. After this there was a certain festival of the Jews, 
and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 

2. Now at Jerusalem near the sheep gate there is a 
bathing place called Bethsaida, with five porches. 

3. And under them lay a multitude of infirm people, 
blind and lame, and palsied, waiting for the stirring of 
the water. 



JOHN. 349 

4. For an angel of the Lord descended at certain times 
into the pool, and stirred the water : and the first that 
entered after the stirring of the water, was healed, what- 
ever might be his complaint. 

5. Now there was one there, who had been ill for 
eight and thirty years. 

6. Jesus saw him as he lay, and knowing that his ail- 
ment was of long standing, said to him, " Dost thou wish 
to be healed ?" 

7. The infirm man answered, " Sir, I have no one to put 
me into the pool at the stirring of the water : and while 
I am going, another steppeth in before me." 

8. Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up thy bed, and walk 
away." 

9. And the man 'was instantly healed; and he took 
up his bed, and walked away. Now that day was a sab- 
bath day. 

10. Wherefore the Jews said to him that had been 
healed, " This is the sabbath, it is not lawful for thee to 
take away thy bed." 

11. He answered them : " The man who healed me, he 
it was that said to me take up thy bed, and walk away."' 

12. Thereupon they asked him, " Who was the man 
that said, take up thy bed, and walk away V 

13. But the man who had been healed, knew not who 
it was. For Jesus on account of the crowd in the place, 
had slipped away. 

14. But afterwards he met him in the temple, and said 
to him : " Lo, thou art well : sin not hereafter, lest some- 
thing worse befall thee." 



(v. 4.) I conceive that the evangelist means merely to relate the 
belief of the Jews at the time. 



350 JOHN. 

15. The man went his way, and told the Jews that it 
was Jesus, who healed him. 

16. Wherefore the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he 
had done this on the sabbath. 

17. Hence Jesus took occasion to say to them, " My 
father worketh until now, and I also work." 

18. Wherefore the Jews sought still more to put him 
to death, not only because he had broken the sabbath, 
but also because he had called God his very father, 
making himself equal with God. 

19. But Jesus answered them thus: "Verily, verily I 
say to you, the son can do nothing of himself, but what 
he seeth the father doing : for whatsoever he doeth, the 
same the son also doeth. 

20. For the father loveth the son, and pointeth out to 
him all that he doeth, and will point out to him works 
greater than these, so that ye will be astonished. 

21. For as the father raiseth up the dead, and giveth 
themlife,so will the son give life to whomsoever he listeth. 

22. Neither doth the father judge any one, but hath 
committed all judgment to the son. 

23. That all may honour the son, as they honour 
the father : for he that honoureth not the son, honoureth 
not the father who sent him. 

24. Verily, verily I say to you, he that hearkeneth to 



(v. 17.) That is, as my father doth not rest from the govern- 
ment of the world on the sabbath, no more do I from works of 
charity. 

(r. 18.) Very father — iStov. Not in a figurative sense, but 
his real or very father. 

(v. 19.) The object of the speaker, is to shew the intimate 
union between the father and son. What the one does, the other 
also does. 



JOHN. 351 

my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath everlast- 
ing life, and will not fall under condemnation, but will 
pass from death to life. 

25. Verily, verily I say to you, that the time is coming, 
yea, it now is, when the dead shall hearken to the voice 
of the son of God, and those who hearken to it, shall 
live. 

26. For as the father hath the source of life in himself, 
so hath he given to the son of man to have the source of 
life in himself. 

27. And he hath given to him authority also to exe- 
cute the office of judge, because he is the son of man. 

28. Wonder not at this : for the hour is coming, when 
all in the tombs shall hear his voice, 

29. And they shall come forth, the doers of good to the 
resurrection of life, the doers of evil to the resurrection of 
condemnation. 

30. It is not that I can do anything of myself : T judge 
accordingly as I hear: and my judgment is righteous: 
because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the fa- 
ther who sent me. 

31. Were I to bear testimony in my own favour, my 
testimony would not be conclusive. 

32. But another hath given testimony in my favour : 

{v. 25.) The dead. That is, unbelievers. 

(v. 26.) The source of life — farjv — vitam. I have translated 
it ' source of life/ because it is plain that the word means, not that 
the father is alive, and the son alive, but that they possess that 
which is a source of life to others. 

(v. 29.) It should be noticed, that in this verse, and v. 24, the 
righteous are said to obtain life without judgment. That word is 
all along taken in the sense of a condemnatory judgment. 

{v. 30.) Of myself. Without the co-operation of the father. 

(v. 31 to 36.) The testimony of John, that Jesus was Messiah. 



352 JOHN. 

and I know that the testimony, which he hath given in 
my favour, is conclusive. 

33. Ye sent to John, and he gave true testimony. 

34. Not that I accept of testimony from man : but I 
say this for your salvation. 

35. He was a burning and blazing light : and ye were 
willing to rejoice for a time in his rays. 

36. But I possess testimony greater than that of John; 
for the works which the father hath appointed me to per- 
form, these works that I do, they testify in my favour 
that the father hath sent me. 

37. Even the father who sent me, he hath born testi- 
mony in my favour. Did ye never hear his voice ? Did 
ye never see his form ? 

38. Have ye not his word remaining among you? — Since 
ye will not believe the man whom he hath sent. 

39. Ye search the scriptures, because ye think to have 
everlasting life through them. Why, they also are (wit- 
nesses) bearing testimony in my favour. 

40. Yet ye will not come to me, that ye may have life. 



(v. 36.) The testimony of our Saviour's miracles. 

(v. 37.) The testimony of the Father, at our Saviour's baptism. 
His voice, the words " This is my beloved son" — his form, the Holy 
Ghost in the shape of a dove. 

(v. 38.) His word — the Scriptures. The man whom he sent — 
John the baptist. 

(v. 39.) Ye search the scriptures — spevvdre — scrutamini. The 
verb, in the Greek and Latin, may be either in the indicative or 
the imperative mood. Some have preferred the latter, and marked 
the passage as containing a precept to read the Scriptures ; but 
the best critics agree, that from the context it is plainly in the 
indicative, and, at all events, it could only order the unbelieving 
Jews to look for the prophecies respecting him in the Old Testa- 
ment. The books of the New Testament, the Christian Scrip- 
tures, were not then in existence. 



JOHN. 353 

41. Not that I accept of glory from men. 

42. Bat I know of you, that ye have not the love of 
God in you. 

43. I am come in the name of my father, and ye will 
not receive me : but if another come in his own name, 
him ye will receive. 

44. How can ye believe, ye who accept of glory from 
one another, but seek not the glory which cometh from 
God alone ? 

45. Think not that I shall accuse you before the father. 
Ye will have for accuser, Moses, the man on whom ye 
rely. 

46. For if ye had believed Moses, ye would believe 
me. For he hath written concerning me. — Deut. xviii. 15. 

47. But if ye believe not his writings, how can ye 
believe my words ?" 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE MULTIPLICATION OF LOAVES : JESUS, THE TRUE 
BREAD FROM HEAVEN. 

1. After this, Jesus went away across the sea of Gali- 
lee, that is of Tiberias. 

2. And a great multitude followed him, because they 
saw the wonders which he had wrought on them that 
were diseased. 

3. And Jesus went up the mountain, and sate down 
there with his disciples. 

4. And the passover, a festival of the Jews, was at hand. 

(v. 44.) Who accept, &c. That is, who receive the man that 
cometh in his own name, but not him who cometh in the Father's 
name, — as in v. 43. 

2 A 



351 JOHN. 

5. Now Jesus raising up bis eyes, and seeing that a 
great multitude was coming to him, said to Philip, 
" Where can we buy bread for these to eat V 

6. — This, however, he said to try him, for he knew 
what he was going to do — 

7. Philip answered him, " Two hundred pennyworth 
of bread would not be sufficient for each of them to take 
a morsel." 

8. One of his disciples, Andrew the brother of Simon 
Peter, sayeth to him, 

9. " There is a boy here, who hath five barley-loaves, 
and two small fishes : but what are these among so many." 

10. Jesus said, "Make the men lie down." Now there 
was much grass on the place : wherefore the men lay 
down, about five thousand in number. 

11. But Jesus took the loaves, and having given 
thanks, distributed them to those lying down, and also 
of the fishes, as much as they pleased. 

12. And when they were filled, he said to his disciples, 
" Gather together the fragments which remain, that 
nothing may be lost." 

13. Wherefore they gathered them together, and filled 
twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley 
loaves and two fishes, which remained after the men had 
eaten. 

14. And they considering the prodigy which Jesus 
had wrought, said, " This is of a truth the prophet, who 
is coming into the world." 

15. Jesus therefore knowing, that it was their inten- 
tion to come and seize on him by force, that they might 
make him king, withdrew again by himself up the moun- 
tain. 

(r. 7.) Two hundred pennyworth. About £6. 5s. 



JOHN. 355 

16. And when it grew late, his disciples went down to 
the sea. 

17. And entering a bark, they steered across the sea 
towards Capharnaum; and it was now dark, and Jesus 
had not come to them. 

18. And the sea was swelled by reason of the violence 
of the wind. 

19. But after they had rowed about twenty-five or 
thirty furlongs, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and 
approaching the bark. And they were stricken with 
fear. 

20. But he said to them, " It is I. Fear not." 

21. And they willed to take him into the bark; and at 
that moment the bark had reached the spot to which 
they were going. 

22. The next day the multitude that remained on the 
other shore, seeing that no more than one boat was there, 
and that Jesus had not entered into it with his disciples, 
who went away alone, 

23. — But other boats had come from Tiberias, to the 
neighbourhood of the place where they had eaten the 
bread after thanks had been given by the Lord — 

24. Knowing then that neither Jesus nor his disciples 
were there, they went into the barks, and came over to 
Capharnaum to seek Jesus. 

25. And having found him on that side of the sea, they 
said to him, " Rabbi, when didst thou come hither ?" 



(v. 19.) Twenty-Jive or thirty furlongs. Between three and 
four miles. 

(v. 22.) There. On the opposite side. 
{v. 24.) There. On this side. 

2 A 2 



350 JOHN. 

26. Jesus gave them this answer, " Verily, verily, I say 
to you, ye seek me, not because ye have seen miracles, 
but because ye have eaten of the loaves and have been 
filled. 

27. Labour not for the food which perisheth, but for 
the food which endureth to life everlasting, which the 
son of man will give you. For to him hath God, his fa- 
ther, signed a commission. 

28. Whereupon they said to him, " What labour are 
we to do, that we may work the works of God? 

29. Jesus answered, " This is the work of God, to be- 
lieve in him whom he hath sent." 

30. On this they said to him: "What sign then dost 
thou perform that we may see it, and believe in thee ? 
What wilt thou work ? 

(v. 26.) Not because ye have seen miracles. Was not their 
eating of the loaves a miracle ? Undoubtedly : they considered it 
so, i7. 15. It is plain, however, that these words are no answer to 
the question, when didst thou come hither? but were occasioned 
by some remark of the Jews, which the evangelist has omitted. 
Perhaps they had told our Lord, that his miracles had induced 
them to follow him : to which he answers, that the other miracles 
did not bring them to him ; it was only the multiplication of the 
loaves. 

(v. 27.) Hath signed — eo-^oayto-ev — signavit. Hath sealed — 
that is, hath given to him a sealed commission. 

(v 28.) In this verse there is, in the original, an allusion to 
v. 27, which begins with the word ipydZeaSe. As I could not 
preserve the allusion in that manner, I have sought to do so by 
using the word labour for ri 7roLovfj.£v. 

(v. 30.) Not that they disputed his miracles, but, as Moses had 
foretold that the Redeemer would work greater miracles that he 
had done, they called on our Lord to perform something which 
was more astonishing than the daily descent of the manna from 
the heavens, wrought, as they pretended, by Moses. He had 
lately given them bread from the earth, but Moses gave it from 
heaven. 



JOHN. 357 

31. Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, as it is 
written, bread from heaven he gave them toeat"-Ps. lxxvii. 
28. Wis. xvi. 20. 

32. Whereupon Jesus said to them, " Verily, verily, I 
say to you, it was not Moses that gave you the bread from 
heaven ; but my father hath given you the true bread 
from heaven. 

33. For that is the bread of God, which descendeth 
from heaven, and giveth life to the world." 

34. They therefore said to him, " Lord, give us this 
bread evermore." 

35. But Jesus said to them, " I am the bread of life. 
He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that 
belie veth in me shall never thirst. 

36. But I have told you, that, though ye have seen me, 
ye have not believed. 

37. Whatsoever the father giveth to me, will come to 
me, and him, who cometh to me, I will never drive away. 

38. Because I have come from heaven, not to do mine 
own will, but the will of him who sent me. 

39. Now this is the will of the father who sent me, that 
I lose nothing of all that which he hath given me, but 
that I raise it up again on the last day. 

40. And this is the will of him who sent me, that who- 
soever seeth the son, and belie veth in him, have life ever- 
lasting, and that I raise him up on the last day." 

(v. 39.) I will raise it up on the last day. It is remarkable, 
that the resurrection on the last day is, in three places of this 
chapter, connected with the promise of everlasting life ; as if the 
resurrection were reserved only for the friends of God, and belonged 
not to his enemies. It is my opinion, that such was the most 
common doctrine of the pharisees : and in that supposition it may 
be said, that our Saviour availed himself of so much of the doc- 
trine admitted by his hearers as was true, without adverting to 
that part of it which was false. 



3o8 JOHN. 

41. Now there was a murmuring about him among the 
Jews, because he had said, / am the bread that liveth, 
and came down from heaven. 

42. And they said, " Is he not Jesus the son of Joseph, 
whose father and mother we know ? How then doth he 
say, I came down from heaven ." 

43. Jesus therefore made this answer, " Do not mur- 
mur one with another. 

44. No one can come to me, unless the father who sent 
me, draw him ; and that man will I raise up on the last day. 

45. It is written in the prophets, and they shall be all 
taught of God. (Is. liv. 13.) Every one then, that hear- 
eth andlearneth of the father, comethto me. 

46. Not that any one hath seen the father: but he who 
cometh from the father : he hath seen the father. 

47. Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth in 
me, hath life everlasting. 

48. 1 am the bread of life. 

49. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and 
died. 

50. But such is the bread that came down from heaven, 
that if a man eat thereof, he shall not die. 

51. I am the bread that liveth, the (bread) that came 
down from heaven. 

52. If a man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever. 
And the bread which I will give, is my flesh, which I 
will give for the life of the world. " 

(v. 41.) I am the bread, &c. This is quoted as part of the 
previous discourse. The substance of it is certainly there, but not 
the very words, even if we score out that liveth, which occurs not 
in the Greek text. I make the remark, to shew that in quotations 
lliis evangelist (and the same is (rue of the others) seldom adheres 
to the very words, but is content with the sense. Another exam- 
ple occurs in v. 66, which is a quotation from v. 1 t 



John. 359 

53. Upon this, the Jews disputed among 1 themselves, 
saying, " How can this man give us his flesh to eat ?" 

54. Wherefore Jesus said to them, " Verily, verily, I 
say to you, that unless ye eat the flesh of the son of man, 
and drink his blood, ye will not have life in you. 

55. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, 
hath life everlasting, and I will raise him up on the last 
day. 

56. For of a truth my flesh is meat, and of a truth my 
blood is drink. 

57. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, 
abideth in me, as I do in him . 

58. As the father who liveth sent me, and as I live 
through the father, so also he that eateth me, the same 
shall live through me. 

59. This is the bread that came down from heaven : 
not as your fathers ate the manna and died — but he that 
eateth this bread, shall live for ever." 

60. These things he spake as he was teaching in the 
synagogue at Capharnaum. 

61. Now many of his disciples, when they heard him, 
said : " This is a hard doctrine, who can hearken to it?" 

6*2. But Jesus knowing of himself that on account of 
this his disciples murmured among themselves, said to 
them, " Doth this give you offence ? 

63 What then, if ye see the son of man go up to the 
place where he was before ? 

(v. 62.) Doth this give offence? These verses may be para- 
phrased thus : " Are ye offended, because I said that I came down 
from heaven ? What will ye think, if ye see me go back to hea- 
ven ? As the body alone, if it be not animated by the spirit, is 
of no value, as it is the spirit alone which giveth life to it, — so 
the doctrine which I have taught, is the spirit which must give life 
to your souls. 



360 JOHN. 

64. It is the spirit that giveth life; the flesh availeth 
nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, yea, 
they are life. 

65. But some of you are unbelievers." For Jesus knew 
from the beginning who were unbelievers, and who 
would be the traitor. 

66. And he said : " It was for this reason that I said 
to you, that no one could come to jne, unless it were 
given to him by my father." 

67. After this many of his disciples went back, and 
accompanied him no longer. 

68. Jesus, therefore, said to the twelve, " Do you mean 
also to go away ?" 

69. Whereupon Simon Peter answered him, u Lord, to 
whom shall we go ? Thou hast the words of life ever- 
lasting. 

70. And we believe and are'assured^that thou art the 
Messiah, the son of the living God." 

71. Jesus answered them, " Did not I choose you the 
twelve ? Yet one of you is a devil." 

72. Now he meant Judas, the son of Simon, the Is- 
cariot : for this man, though one of the twelve, was about 
to betray him. 



CHAPTER VII. 

JESUS AT THE FEAST OF THE TABERNACLES : HIS DIS- 
COURSES : THE OFFICERS AFRAID TO APPREHEND 
HIM. 

1. After this Jesus went about in Galilee, but would 

(v. 71.) Peter had taken upon himself to answer in the name 
of all the twelve, which gave our Saviour occasion to inform (hem, 
that one of them was a traitor. 



JOHN. 361 

not do so in Judea, because the Jews sought to put him 
to death. 

2. Now a Jewish festival, that of the Tabernacles, (Lev. 
xxiii. 33^ was at hand. 

3. Whereupon his brethren said to him, " Leave this 
country, and go into Judea, that thy disciples (there) 
may also see the wonders which thou workest. 

4. For no one that seeketh to be known, doeth things 
in secret : if thou work such things, manifest thyself to 
the world." 

5. For not even his brethren believed in him. 

6. But Jesus said to them, " My time is not yet come : 
your time is always ready. 

7. The world cannot hate you : but me it hateth, 
because I bear witness of it, that its works are evil. 

8. Go ye up to the festival : I do not go up to this fes- 
tival yet, because my time is not yet accomplished." 

9. This he said to them, and remained in Galilee. 

10. But after his brethren had gone up, then he went 
up also to the festival, not openly, but as in secret. 

11. Wherefore the Jews sought him at the festival, 
and said, " Where is that man ?" 

12. And there was much whispering about him among 
the multitude. Some said, " He is a good man j" and 
some said, " No : but he misleadeth the people." 



{v. 3.) Brothers. See Matt. xiii. 55, note. 

(v. 8.) I do not go yet — oviro). Yet is not in the Vulgate ; 
but it must be understood. For our Saviour's words, even without 
it, have reference to v. 6, my time is not yet come ; and v. 8, my 
time is not yet accomplished. He does not deny the intention of 
going at all, but of going before his time. They, however, went, 
in all probability, some days before the festival, that they might 
go through a course of purification preparatory to it, as we learn 
was the custom, from c. xi. v. 55. 



362 john. 

13. Howbeit no one spake freely bis opinion of bim 
through fear of the Jews. 

14. Now, about the middle of the festival, Jesus went 
up into the temple, and taught. 

15. And the Jews wondered, saying, " How doth he 
know letters, who never learned them ?" 

16. Jesus gave this answer, " The learning which I 
have, is not mine, but his who sent me. 

17. Whosoever will do his will, may judge of my 
learning, whether it cometh from God, or I speak it from 
myself. 

18. Whosoever speaketh from himself, seeketh his own 
glory : but he that seeketh the glory of him who sent 
him, is truthful, and without deceit. 

19. Did not Moses give you the law, and yet no one 
among you observeth the law ? Why seek ye to put me 
to death?" 

20. In reply the people said, " Thou art possessed with 
a fiend. Who seeketh to put thee to death?" 

21. Jesus made answer, " I performed one work, and 
ye are all shocked. 

22. On that account, Moses gave you circumcision — 
not that it cometh from Moses, but from the fathers — and 
ye circumcise a man on the sabbath day. 

[v. 13.) Jews. It is plain that here, and through the rest of 
the chapter, the evangelist, by Jews, means the leading men in 
Jerusalem. 

(v. 16.) Is not mine. That is, I have not acquired it by study. 

(v. 21.) One work. The cure of the infirm man on the sabbath 
day. John v. 9. 

(Ibid.) Ye are all shocked— dav^a'Cire— miramini. The con- 
text shews that their wonder was not at the miracle itself, but at 
its being performed during the sabbath day. 

[v. 22.) On thai account — Bta tooth — propterea. This is gene- 



JOHN. 363 

23. Now if a man receive circumcision on the sabbath 
clay, that the law of Moses may not be broken ; aie ye 
offended at me, because I healed a man in all his limbs 
on the sabbath day ? 

24. Judge not according to the appearance, but judge 
righteous judgment." 

25. At this, some inhabitants of Jerusalem said, " Is 
not this the man whom they seek to pat to death ? 

26. Yet see, he speaketh freely, and they say nothing 
to him. Can it be that our rulers know him to be of a 
truth the Messiah ? 

27. Howbeit of this man we know whence he is : but, 
when the Messiah cometh, no one will know whence 
he is." 

28. Wherefore Jesus, who was teaching in the temple, 
cried aloud, saying, " Ye both know me, and know 
whence I am. It was not of myself that I came, and he 
that sent me is true, though ye know him not. 

rally made die beginning of this sentence ; Theophylactus considers 
it as the end of the sentence preceding. In no other way is it 
possible to make the words intelligible, unless we suppose that a 
line has been lost, which was the answer to the question, who 
seeketh to put thee to death ? Such answer might begin, ha 
tovth, " on this account do ye seek," &c. 

(Ibid.) Not from Moses, but from the fathers. It was given 
to Abraham, as a seal of the covenant. 

[v. 23.) In all his limbs — okov — totum. This rendering is 
rather paraphrastic, but I know of no better manner of expressing 
the sense of the original. 

(v. 28.) They knew him, and whence he came : for they knew 
of the voice which, at his baptism, had declared him to be the son 
of God, and on that account to be believed. This is the mission 
to which he continually appeals, and of which he says, that he who 
sent him was true, but the Jews knew him not, because they did 
not yield to such testimony. It has been observed, that the word 



364 JOHN. 

29. But I know him, for I am from him, and he hath 
sent me." 

30. They wished, therefore, to lay hold of him : yet no 
one put hand upon him, because his time was not yet 
come. 

31. But many of the people believed in him, and said, 
" When the Messiah cometh, will he do more wonders 
than this man hath done ?" 

32. And the pharisees heard these whisperings about 
him among the people ; and the chief priests and phari- 
sees sent officers to lay hold of him. 

33. And Jesus said to them, " I am with you yet for a 
short time ; and (then) I go to him who sent me. 

34. Ye will seek me but not find me : for where I am, 
thither ye cannot come." 

35. The Jews at this said among themselves, " Whither 
doth the man mean to go, so that we shall not find him ? 
Doth he mean to go among the various nations of the 
Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles ? 

36. What is the meaning of his saying, ye shall seek 
me and not find me, for where I am, thither ye cannot 
come V 

37. Now on the last and great day of the festival, Jesus 
stood up, and cried out, saying, " If any one thirst, let 
him come to me and drink. 



employed in this verse is aXwOwog, not cWndtiQ, which is used of 
Christ himself in v. 18 ; that the first means real or genuine, 
vents, — the second a speaker of truth, verax ; and that therefore 
our Saviour speaks hereof God as his real, in opposition to Joseph, 
his supposed, father. But I cannot believe that the evangelist 
was sufficiently master of the Greek language, to discriminate so 
nicely between the meaning of cognate words. 



JOHN. 365 

38. Whosoever believeth in me, as the scripture sayeth, 
from his belly there shall flow rivers of living- water." 

39. Now this he said of the spirit, which would be re- 
ceived by those who believed in him : for hitherto the 
spirit had not been given, because Jesus had not yet taken 
possession of his glory. 

40. Wherefore many of the people, hearing the word, 
said " Of a truth this man is the prophet." 

41. Others said, " He is the Messiah." While others 
said, " But doth the Messiah come from Galilee ? 

42. Doth not the scripture say, that the Messiah cometh 
of the race of David, and from Bethlehem, the village 
where David dwelt ?" 

43. Thus there happened a division among the people 
concerning him. 

44. And some of them wished to lay hold of him : but 
no one put hand upon him. 

45. Now the officers returned to the high priests and 
pharisees, who said to them, " Why have ye not brought 
him ?" 

46. And the officers answered, " No man ever spake 
like this man." 

47. On which the pharisees said, " Have ye also been 
misled ? 

48. Hath any one of the rulers or of the pharisees be- 
lieved in him ? 

(y. 38.) We are told that, at the feast of Tabernacles, the Jews 
went in procession to the fountain of Siloe, to fetch water for the 
morning sacrifice. If this be true, such procession might give 
occasion to the words of our Lord, which are explained by the 
evangelist to refer to the extraordinary and supernatural gifts bes- 
towed by the holy spirit upon the first converts. As to the pas- 
sage quoted by our Saviour, it is not to be found in our copies of 
the Scriptures. That it was well known to those whom he 
addressed, cannot be doubted. 



366 JOHN. 

49. These men who know not the law, are a deeply 
accursed rabble." 

50. But Nicodcmus, the same who came to him by 
night, and was one of their company, said to them, 

51. M Doth our law condemn a man, unless it have 
heard from him first, and know what he hath done ?" 
Deut. xvii. 8 ; xix. 15. 

52. They said in reply, " Art thou also from Galilee ? 
Search, and see that no prophet ariseth out of Galilee. " 

53. Then each one departed to his own home. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY: CONFUTATION OF 
THE PHARISEES. 

1. Now, Jesus proceeded to the Mountain of Olives. 

2. And early in the morning he returned to the tem- 
ple, and all the people came to him, and he sate down 
and taught them. 

3. But the scribes and pharisees brought before him a 
woman taken in adultery, and placing her in the midst, 

4. Said to him, " Master, this woman hath been sur- 
prised in the very act of adultery. 

5. Now Moses in the law hath commanded us to stone 
such (offenders), but what sayest thou ?" 

6. This, however, they said for the purpose of trying 
him, that they might have matter of accusation against 
him. But Jesus stooping down, wrote with his finger 
on the ground. 

(v. 6.) Wrote with Ids finger on the ground. This will remind 
the reader of the Eastern custom of writing with the finger on 
sand. 



JOHN. 367 

7. And, as they persisted in the question, he looked 
up and said, " He that is sinless among you, let him be 
the first to east a stone at her." 

8. And, stooping down again, he wrote on the ground. 

9. But, at these words, they began to withdraw one 
after another, beginning with the eldest, till Jesus was 
left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 

10. Then, Jesus looking up, and seeing no one but 
the woman, said to her, " Woman, where are those men, 
thine accusers ? Hath no one pronounced judgment 
on thee." 

11. She said; "No one, Sir." Jesus said to her, 
" Neither do I pronounce judgment. Go thy way, and 
sin no more." 

12. Jesus therefore spake again to them, saying, " I 
am the light of the world ; he that folio weth me, doth 
not walk about in darkness, but shall have the light of 
life." 

13. Then the pharisees said to him, " Thou bearest 
testimony in thine own favour : thy testimony is not 
true." 

14. Jesus made answer; " Although I bear testimony 



(v. 11.) The objections against the authenticity of this narra- 
tion, which certainly was not in the copies used by many of the 
Greek fathers, do not appear to me of much weight. See Pearce 
on v. J 1, Note C. In the ninth verse, I have followed the reading 
of the Vulgate. 

{v. 12.) To them. Those who reject the preceding history, 
ask who are meant by them, since we are told that Jesus was left 
alone with the woman. The answer is, the people whom Jesus 
was teaching, before the arrival of the woman's accusers. They 
had given place to these : and when the latter retired, became 
again the hearers of our blessed Lord. 



368 JOHN. 

in mine own favour, my testimony is true, for I know- 
whence I came, and whither I go : but ye know neither 
whence I come, nor whither I go. 

15. Ye judge according to the flesh : I judge no one : 

16. Though, were I to judge, my judgment would be 
conformable to truth ; because I am not alone, but I and 
the father who sent me, (judge together.) 

17. Now it is written also in your law, that the testi- 
mony of two men is true. — Deut. xvii. 6 ; xix. 15. 

18. I am one, who bear testimony in my favour, and 
the father who sent me also beareth testimony in my 
favour." 

19. Whereupon they said to him, "Where is thy fa- 
ther ?" Jesus answered, " Ye know neither me, nor my 
father. Had ye known me, ye would also have known 
my father." 

20. Jesus spake these words in the treasury, when he 
taught in the temple, and no one laid hand upon him 
because his hour was not yet come. 

21. He therefore said to them again ; "I am going, 
and ye will seek me, and will die in your sin : whither I 
am going, ye cannot come." 

22. Upon this the Jews said ; " Doth he mean to kill 
himself; that he sayeth, whither lam going, ye cannot 



come 



9" 



{v. 18.) The reader will recollect the testimony of the Father at 
our Saviour's baptism. 

{v. 19.) Ye know neither me, &c. Yet (vii. 28) he had said, 
yea, ye know me, and know tchence I am. There is, however, no 
contradiction. They knew him whence he was, because they had 
been told by a voice from heaven ; yet they knew him not, because 
they did not draw the proper inference from that voice. 



JOHN. 369 

23. Then he said to them ; " Ye. are from beneath, I 
from above. Ye are of this world, I am not of this world. 

24. Therefore I told you, that ye would die in your 
sins : for, unless ye believe that I am he, ye will die in 
your sins." 

25. Upon this they said to him, " Who art thou ?" And 
Jesus answered, " What T told you from the beginning. 

26. I have much to say of you, and to judge. Now he 
that sent me is true ; and what I have heard from him, 
that do I speak to the world." 

27. Now they did not understand that he meant his 
father, God. 

28. Wherefore Jesus said to them, " When ye shall 
have lifted on high the son of man, then will ye under- 
stand that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but 
as the father hath taught me, these things do I speak. 

29. And he that sent me, is with me. The father hath 
not left me by myself; for I always do what is pleasing 
to him." 

30. While he was speaking thus, many believed in him. 
Jesus therefore said to the Jews who believed in him ; 

31. " If ye persevere in my doctrine, ye are truly my 
disciples. 

32. And ye will know the truth, and the truth will 
make you free." 

33. They answered him, "We are the seed of Abraham; 
we were never in bondage to any man ; how sayest thou, 
ye shall be free V 

(v. 24.) That I am he. That is, Messiah. This omission of 
Messiah leads to the question in the next verse, who art thou, and 
his repetition of the same phrase in v. 28. 

{v. 27.) The word God is not in the Greek. 

{v. 33.) They. It appears from v. 37, that the persons here 
meant are not the believino-, but the unbelieving Jews. 

2 B 



370 JOHN. 

34. Jesus replied ; " Verily, verily, I say to you, that 
every one who committeth sin, is the slave of sin. 

35. Now it is not the slave that abideth evermore in 
the family, but the son abideth evermore. 

36. If then the son make you free, ye will be free in- 
deed. 

37. I am aware that ye are the offspring of Abraham. 
Yet ye seek to put me to death, because my doctrine 
findeth no room among you. 

38. I speak what I have seen with my father, ye do 
what ye have seen with your father. 

39. They made answer, " Our father is Abraham." 
Jesus sayeth to them, " If ye are the children of Abraham, 
do the works of Abraham. 

40. Now ye seek to put me to death, one who have 
told you the truth which I have heard from God. This 
Abraham never did. 

41. But ye do the deeds of your father." They said to 
him : " We are not the offspring of fornication. We have 
but one father, God.' 1 

42. Whereupon Jesus said to them, " If God were 
your father, ye would love me ; for it was from God that 
I proceeded, and am come. For I did not come of my- 
self, but he sent me. 

43. Why is it that ye do not understand my words? It 
is because ye cannot bear my doctrine. 

44. The devil is the father from whom ye spring : and 
the lusts of your father ye are desirous of doing: he was 
a manslayer from the beginning, and stood not by the 
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speak- 
eth falsehood, he speaketh from his own stock, for he is 
a liar, and the father thereof. 

45. But, because I speak the truth, ye believe me not. 



JOHN. 371 

46. Who is there among you, that can prove me guilty 
of sin ? If then I speak the truth to you, why do ye not 
believe me ? 

47. He that is of God, hearkeneth to the words of 
God. Ye hearken to them not, for this reason, that ye 
are not of God." 

48. The Jews upon this made answer, " Have we not 
reason to say that thou art a Samaritan, and possessed 
with a fiend ?" 

49. Jesus replied, " I am not possessed with a fiend, 
but I honour the father, and ye dishonour me. 

50. But I seek not mine own honour: there is one 
who will seek, and will condemn. 

51. Verily, verily, I say to you, if any one keep my 
word, he shall never see death." 

52. The Jews say to him, " Now we are convinced that 
thou art possessed. Abraham hath died, and so have 
the prophets. Yet, thou say est, if any one keep my 
word, he shall never taste of death. 

53. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who 
yet hath died. And the prophets have died. Whom 
dost thou make thyself?" 

54. Jesus answered : " If I take glory to myself, my 
glory is of no value. He that glorifieth me is my father, 
of whom ye say that he is your God. 

55. Yet ye know him not, though I know him, and 
were I to say that I do not know him, I should be false 
like you. But I do know him, and keep his word. 

(v. 52.) This is a quotation of the words in the preceding verse ; 
and yet there is a difference between the passages. In v. 51, he 
shall never see ; in this, shall never taste. See a similar instance 
in vv. 32, 33. 

2b2 



372 JOHN. 

56. Your father Abraham leaped for joy to see my 
day : he saw it, and was glad." 

57. Upon this the Jews said to him, " Thou art not 
fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" 

58. Jesus said to them, "Verily, verily, before Abra- 
ham was born, I am in being." 

59. Upon this they took up stones to cast at him : but 
Jesus concealed himself, and withdrew from the temple. 



CHAPTER IX. 

JESUS GIVETH SIGHT TO A MAN BORN BLIND. 

1. Now Jesus, as he passed along, saw a man who 
had been blind from his birth. 

2. And his disciples asked him, " Rabbi, was it this 
man or his parents who sinned, that he was born blind ?" 

3. Jesus answered, " Neither did he sin, nor his pa- 
rents. It was, that the works of God might be shewn 
forth in him. 

4. I have to do the works of him that sent me, while 
it is day : the night is coming, when no man can work. 

5. While I am in the world, I am the light of the 
world." 

6. Having said this, he spat on the ground, made clay 
with the spittle, and rubbed the clay on his eyes. 

7. Then he said to him, " Go thy way, and wash them 
in the pool of Siloe," which word is translated sent. He 
went therefore, washed, and returned with the power of 
sight. 

8. Now, his neighbours, and those who had formerly 
seen him begging, said, " Is not this he who used to sit, 
and beg V Some said, " It is he." 



JOHN. 373 

9. But others, " No, it is one like him." He, however, 
said, " It is I myself." 

10. Then they said ; "How were thine eyes opened ?" 

11. He answered, "The man, who is called Jesus, 
made clay, and rubbed mine eyes, and said to me, Go to 
the pool of Siloe, and wash. I went, and I washed, 
and I see." 

12. And they said, "Where is he?" He replied, "I 
do not know." 

13. Then they led the man, who had been blind, to the 
pharisees. 

14. Now it was on the Sabbath day, that Jesus made 
the clay, and opened his eyes. 

15. Therefore, the pharisees asked him again, how he 
recovered his sight. And he said to them : " He put 
clay on mine eyes, and I washed, and I see." 

16. Then some of the pharisees said, " This man can- 
not be of God, for he doth not keep the Sabbath." But 
others said, " How can a man who sinneth, perform such 
wonders ?" And there arose a dissension among them. 

17. They therefore say again to the blind man, 
" Thou, what dost thou say of him, since he opened thine 
eyes?" But he answered, " He is a prophet." 

18. The Jews however, would not believe of him, that 
he had been blind, and had received his sight, till they 
called the parents of him, who had received his sight, 

19. And asked them in these words. " Is this your 
son that you say was born blind? How then is it that he 
doth see ?" 

20. His parents made this answer : " We know that he 
is our son, and that he was born blind. 

21. But how it is that he seeth now, we know not, nor 



374 john. 

do we know who it was that opened his eyes. Ask him, 
he is old enough, let him speak for himself." 

22. The parents said this through fear of the Jews : for 
the Jews had already agreed, that whosoever should own 
him for Messiah, should be cast out of the synagogue. 

23. On that account his parents said, He is old enough, 
ask ye him. 

24. Upon this they called again the man who had been 
blind, and said to him, " Give glory to God. We know 
that this man is a sinner." 

25. He replied ; " Whether the man be a sinner, I 
know not. One thing I know, that I was blind, and 
that now I see." 

26. They said again to him, " What did he do to thee ? 
How did he open thine eyes ?" 

27. He answered, " I have told you already, and ye 
heard it. Why do ye wish to hear it again ? Do ye 
mean to become his disciples yourselves ?" 

28. And they reviled him, saying, " Be thou his disci- 
ple, we are the disciples of Moses. 

29. We know that God spake to Moses : but of this 
man we know not whence he is." 

30. The man made them this answer. " Why, this is 
a wondrous thing, that ye know not whence he is, though 
he hath opened mine eyes. 

31. We know that God hearkeneth not to sinners: 
but if a man be a worshipper of God, and a doer of his 
will, to that man he hearkeneth. 

32. Never before was it heard, that a man hath opened 
the eyes of one born blind. 

33. If he were not from God, he could perform 
nothing." 

34. They said to him in reply, " Thou wast born alto- 



JOHN. 375 

gether in sins, and dost thou teach us ?" And they turned 
him out. 

35. Now Jesus heard that they had turned him out : 
and having met with him, said to him, " Dost thou 
believe in the Son of God ?" 

36. He answered, " Who is he, Lord, that I may be- 
lieve in him.'' 

37. Jesus said to him : " Thou hast seen him : and he 
that speaketh to thee, is he." 

38. And he said, " I believe, O Lord," and falling 
down, he worshipped him. 

39. Then Jesus said, " I came into 'the world to exe- 
cute judgment, that those who see not, may see, and that 
those who see, may become blind." 

40. And some of the pharisees who were with him, 
heard these words, and said to him, " Are we then also 
blind ?" 

41. And Jesus said to them, " If ye were blind, ye 
would not have sin. But now that ye say, we see, your 
sin remaineth." 



CHAPTER X. 

JESUS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD: HIS UNION WITH THE 
FATHER. 

1. " Verily, verily, I say to you, he that doth not enter 
into the sheep-fold by the door, but climbeth up by some 
other way, he is a thief and a robber. 

{v. 1.) The reader should be aware, that the sheep-fold con- 
tained the flocks of several proprietors, and that it was the duty of 
the door-keeper to exclude all who had no interest in the sheep. 
By the shepherd is meant the owner of the sheep. 



376 JOHN. 

2. But he that entereth by the door, is shepherd of the 
sheep. 

3. To him the door-keeper openeth, and to his voice 
the sheep hearken, and his own sheep he calleth by 
name, and them he leadeth forth. 

4. And when he hath led them forth, he goeth before 
them, and the sheep follow him, because they know his 
voice. 

5. But a stranger they will not follow, but will flee 
from him, because they know not the voice of strangers." 

6. This figure did Jesus address to them ; but they 
understood not the things which he spake to them. 

7. Wherefore Jesus said to them again : " Verily, 
verily, I say to you, that I am the door of the sheep. 

8. All that have come in (by another way) are thieves 
and robbers : but the sheep have not obeyed their voice. 

9. I am the door ; if any one come in through me, he 
shall be safe, and shall go in and out, and shall find 
pasture. 

10. The thief cometh only to steal, and to slay, and to 
destroy. I am come that they may have life, and may 
have it abundantly. 

11. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd 
layeth down his life for the sheep. 



[v. 3.) His sheep he calleth, &c. In Judea, the sheep were 
trained to follow the shepherd. Throughout the old Scripture, 
the shepherd always leads, never drives, the flock. 

(v. 8.) If this verse be compared with v. 1, it will be seen that 
the words by another way, ought to be introduced. The Greek 
has before me, which is very properly omitted by the Vulgate. 
Are we to understand from this verse, that false teachers not com- 
missioned by Christ had already appeared, or is it prophetic of 
the false teachers who appeared afterwards ? 

(v. 11.) Here follows a prophecy that Jesus, under the figure 



JOHN. 377 

12. But the man who is hired, who is not the shepherd, 
whose property the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, 
and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth, and the wolf seizeth 
and scattereth the sheep. 

13. The hireling fleeth, because he is a hireling, and 
careth not for the sheep. 

14. I am the good shepherd : and I know mine own 
sheep, and mine own know me, 

15. — Even as the father knoweth me, and I know 
the father — and I lay down my life for the sheep. 

16. And I have other sheep which are not of this fold : 
and them I must also bring, and they shall hearken to 
my voice, and there shall be one flock, and one shepherd. 

17. On this account doth my father love me, that I 
lay down my life, to take it up again. 

18. No one forceth it from me : but I lay it down of 
mine own accord, and T have power both to lay it down, 
and to take it up again. Such is the command which I 
hare received from my father." 

19. Another division, therefore, arose among the Jews 
on account of these words. 

20. Many of them said, " He is possessed, and is mad : 
why do ye hearken to him ?" 

21. Others said, " These are not the words of one pos- 
sessed. Can a fiend open the eyes of the blind ?" 

22. Now the feast of the dedication was kept at Jeru- 
salem. It was winter. 



of the good shepherd, was to lay down his life, that he might save 
mankind, and call the Gentiles into his Church, in conjunction 
with the Jews. 



378 JOHN. 

23. And Jesus walked about in the temple in Solo- 
mon's porch. 

24. There the Jews surrounded him, and said, " How 
long wilt thou keep our minds in suspense ? If thou art 
Messiah, tell us plainly." 

25. Jesus made answer : " I have told you, and ye do 
not believe me. The works that I perform in the name 
of my father, they bear testimony in my favour. 

26. Yet ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep. 

27. My sheep hearken to my voice ; I know them, and 
they follow me. 

28. And I give to them everlasting life, and they shall 
never perish, nor shall any man tear them out of my 
hands. 

29. My father, who gave them to me, is greater than 
all. No one can tear out of the hands of my father. 

30. I and the father are one." 

31. Upon this the Jews again took up stones to stone 
him. 

32. And Jesus answered them, " Many good works 
have I done before you from my father : for which of 
these works do ye stone me ?" 

33. The Jews made answer, " It is not for any good 
work that we stone thee, but for blasphemy; because, 
man as thou art, thou makest thyself God." 



[v. 28, et seq.) The reasoning in these verses is this : " I and 
my father are one : but no one can tear out of his hands, therefore 
no one can tear out of mine." 

(v. 29.) Who gave them to me — oq hilwKi poi fxelfay rcavnov 
£ ' ar /_q UO d dedit mihi, majus omnibus est. It is plain that the 
Latin translator read 6 for be, and fie($ov for fteifav : but the 
whole context is in favour of the other reading. 



JOHN. 379 

34. Jesus replied to them, " Is it not written in your 
law, / said, ye are Gods. — Ps. lxxxi. 6. 

35. Now, if it call them Gods, to whom the word of 
God was sent, — and the scripture cannot be disproved — 

36. Can ye say of him, whom the father hath conse- 
crated and sent into the world, * Thou blasphemest,' be- 
cause I said, / am the son of God ? 

37. If I do not the works of my father, believe me not. 

38. But if I do, then, though ye believe not me, be- 
lieve my works, that ye may know and believe that the 
father is in me, and I in the father." 

39. Hereupon they sought again to lay hold of him, 
but he escaped from their hands, 

40. And withdrew to the bank of the Jordan, to the 
place where John first baptized, and there he abode. 

41. And many resorted to him, and said, " John, in- 
deed, wrought no miracle : but whatever John said of 
this man, hath been true." 

42. And many believed in him there. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS. 

1. Now a certain Lazarus, of Bethania, the village of 
Mary and her sister Martha, was sick. 

2. — Now this Mary, whose brother Lazarus was sick, 
was the woman that anointed the Lord with balsam, and 
wiped his feet, with her hair. — John xii. 3. 

(«?. 36.) Hence it follows, that when he said, he ivas one with 
the father, his words had the same meaning as if he had said, he 
was the so?i of God. This is another instance of the loose manner 
in which the evangelists quote their own writings. 



380 JOHN. 

3. The sisters, therefore, sent to him, saying, " Behold, 
Lord, the man whom thou lovest is sick." 

4. At these words Jesus said, " This sickness is not 
mortal, but for the glory of God, that the son of God 
may be glorified thereby." 

5. Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister Mary, and 
Lazarus. 

6. Yet, though he heard of his sickness, he tarried two 
days in the place where he was ; 

7. After which he said to his disciples, " Let us go 
back into Judea." 

8. His disciples say to him, " Just now the Jews 
sought to stone thee, and dost thou mean to go back ?" 

9. Jesus answered, " Are there not twelve hours of day- 
light ? If a man walk about in the day time, he stumbleth 
not, because he seeth the light of this world. 

10. But if he walk about in the night time, he stum- 
bleth, because he hath not light." 

11. Having said this, he added, " Our friend Lazarus 
hath fallen asleej) ; but I go to awake him." 

12. Upon this the disciples said, " Lord, if he be fallen 
asleep, he will recover." 

13. Now Jesus spake of his death ; but they thought 
that he spake of the repose of sleep. 

14. Then, therefore, Jesus said to them plainly, " La- 
zarus is dead. 

15. And for your sake — that you may have faith — I 
rejoice that I was not there. But let us go to him." 

16. Upon this, Thomas — which meaneth the twin — 
said to his fellow-disciples, " Let us also go, that we may 
die with him." 

[v. 16.) The twin — didv/uog. 



JOHN. 381 

17. When Jesus arrived, he found that he had been 
four days in the sepulchre. 

18. — But Bethania was about fifteen furlongs distant 
from Jerusalem — 

19. Now many of the Jews had gone to the house of 
Martha and Mary, to console them about their brother. 

20. And Martha, as soon as she heard of the coming 
of Jesus, went out to meet him : but Mary remained sit- 
ting in the house. 

21. Martha, therefore, said to Jesus, " Lord, hadst 
thou been here, my brother had not died. 

22. But I know, that even now God will grant to thee 
whatsoever thou shalt ask of him." 

23. Jesus sayeth to her, "Thy brother will rise again." 

24. Martha sayeth to him, " I know that he will rise 
at the resurrection on the last day." 

25. Then Jesus said to her, " I am the resurrection 
and life. The believer in me, though he were dead, yet 
shall he live. 

26. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall 
never die. Dost thou believe this ?" 

27. She sayeth to him, " Yea, Lord, I have believed 
that thou art the Messiah, the son of God, he that is 
coming into the world." 

28. After this answer she went, and spoke to her sister- 
Mary in private, saying, " The master is come, and asketh 
for thee." 

29. The moment she heard this, she arose quickly, and 
cometh to him. 

30. Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but 
remained on the spot where Martha had met him. 

{v. 18.) Fifteen furlongs. About two miles. 



38*2 John. 

31. Wherefore the Jews who were in the house to con- 
sole her, observing that Mary rose up hastily, and went 
out, followed her, saying, " She is going to the sepulchre, 
to bewail there." 

32. But Mary, on her arrival where Jesus was, as soon 
as she saw hiiri, fell at his feet, and said, " Lord, hadst 
thou been here, my brother had not died." 

33. And Jesus, seeing her in tears, and the Jews that 
came with her in tears, groaned in spirit, and was greatly 
moved. 

34. And he said, " Where have ye laid him ?" They re- 
plied, " Lord, come and see." 

35. Jesus wept. 

36. Upon this the Jews said, " See, how he loved him." 

37. But some of them said, " Could not this man, who 
opened the eyes of the blind man, have taken care that 
he should not have died ?" 

38. But Jesus, groaning again in himself, arriveth at 
the sepulchre, which was a cave, and closed with a stone. 

39. Jesus sayeth, " Take ye away the stone." Martha, 
the sister of the dead man, replieth : " Lord, by this 
time, he must smell. This is the fourth day." 

40. Jesus sayeth to her, " Did I not tell thee, that, if 
thou believe, thou shalt see the glory of God ?" 

41. They removed, therefore, the stone from where the 
corpse lay : and Jesus, raising up his eyes, said: 

42. " Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 
I knew, indeed, that thou nearest me always : but I said 
this for the sake of the people around, that they may 
believe that thou hast sent me." 

43. And after these words, he called out with a strong 
voice, " Lazarus, come forth." 

44. And the dead man came forth, swathed with fillets 



JOHN. 383 

both hand and foot, and bound over the face with a ker- 
chief. And Jesus said to them, " Loose him, and let him 
go." 

45. Many therefore of the Jews, who had visited Mary, 
and who saw what Jesus had done, believed in him : 

46. But some of them went away to the pharisees, and 
told them what Jesus had done. 

47. Wherefore the high priests and pharisees assem- 
bled the Sanhedrin, and said : " What are we doing ? 
For this man performeth many wonders. 

48. If we allow him to do thus, all will believe in him, 
and the Romans will come, and destroy both our place 
and nation." 

49. But one of them, by name Caiaphas, being high 
priest for that year, said to them, 

50. " Are ye void of understanding ? Doth not your 
reason teach you that it is for our interest that one man 
should die instead of the people, and that the whole 
nation should not perish ?" 

51. But he spake not this of himself ; but, because he 
was high priest of that year, he prophesied that Jesus 
was to die in place of the nation, 

52. And not of the nation only, but that he might 
gather into one body the scattered children of God. 

53. From that day, therefore, they held consultations 
together, for the purpose of putting him to death. 

54. On which account Jesus no longer walked publicly 
among the Jews, but went thence to a place near the 

(v. 51.) He prophesied. Caiaphas, in expressing the conclu- 
sion to which his prejudices and passsion had led him, was inspired 
to make use of language which, though he meant it not, exactly 
described the real object of our Lord, in his incarnation and death. 



384 JOHN. 

wilderness, to a township called Ephrem, and abode there 
with his disciples. 

55. Now the passover of the Jews was nigh ; and many 
went up to Jerusalem from the country, that they might 
purify themselves before the passover. 

56. And these sought Jesus, and, as they stood in the 
temple, said to one another, " What think ye can be the 
reason, that he hath not come to the festival ?" 

57. But the high priests and pharisees had given 
orders, that whosoever knew where he was, should dis- 
close it, that they might lay hold of him. 



CHAPTER XII. 

JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM : A VOICE FROM HEAVEN. 

1. Jesus, however, six days before the passover, came 
to Bethania, where Lazarus dwelt, the dead man whom 
he had raised from the dead. 

2. Wherefore they made a supper for him there ; and 
Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who lay at 
table with him. 

3. And Mary, taking a pound of very costly balsam of 
spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet 
with her hair : and the house was filled with the odour 
of the balsam. 

4. Upon which one of his disciples, Judas the Iscariot, 
who was to betray him, sayeth, 

5. Why was not this balsam sold for three hundred 
denarii, and given to the poor ?" 



{v. 5.) Three hundred denarii were something more than £9. 
of our money. 



JOHN. 385 

6. But he said this, not that he cared for the poor, but 
because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried 
whatever was put therein. 

7. But Jesus said, " Let her alone. She hath kept 
it against the day of my burial. 

8. The poor ye have always with you, but me ye have 
not always." 

9. Now a great number of the Jews learned that he 
was there ; and they came, not only on account of Jesus, 
but to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the 
dead. 

10. But the high priests consulted together for the 
purpose of putting Lazarus also to death, 

11. Because many of the Jews were led away on ac- 
count of him, and believed in Jesus. 

12. The next day a great multitude of those who had 
come to the festival, hearing that Jesus was coming to 
Jerusalem, 

13. Took the boughs of palm trees, and came out to 
meet him, and cried, " Hosanna, blessed is he that 
cometh in the name of the Lord, he that is the king of 
Israel." 

14. But Jesus, having found a young ass, sate thereon, 
as it is written, 

15. Fear not, daughter of Sion: lo, thy king cometh , 
sitting on the colt of an ass. — Zach. ix. 9. 



(v. 7.) She hath kept — rsT-fiprjice. The Vulgate reads ut servet, 
that she may keep, as if she had used a part only, and was to keep 
the rest against his own burial. The former reading appears to 
be more in unison with the narratives of the other evangelists. 
Matt, xx vi. 12 ; Mark xiv. 8. 

2 C 



386 JOHN. 

16. This, indeed, his disciples did not understand at 
first; but, after Jesus was glorified, then they remembered 
that these things had been written concerning him, and 
that these things they had done for him : 

17. And the people, who were with him, when he 
called Lazarus out of the sepulchre, and raised him from 
the dead, bore testimony. 

18. And it was for that reason that the multitude met 
him, because they had heard of his performance of the 
wonder. 

19. The pharisees, therefore, said to one another : " See 
ye, we speed not : lo, the whole world goeth after him." 

20. Now among those who came to worship at the 
festival, were certain Greeks : 

21. Who accosted Philip of Bethsaida in Galilee, and 
asked him, saying, " Sir, we wish to see Jesus." 

22. Philip came and spake to Andrew ; and then An- 
drew and Philip told Jesus. 

23. But Jesus answered, " The time is come that the 
son of man shall be glorified. 

24. Verily, verily, I say to you, unless the grain of 
wheat, which is cast into the earth, die, it lieth there 
single : but, if it die, it yieldeth much increase. 

25. He that loveth his life, shall lose it : but he that 
hateth his life in this world, shall preserve it for life 
everlasting. 

26. If a man minister unto me, let him follow me ; 
and where I am, there let my minister be : and whoso- 
ever shall minister unto me, him will my father honour. 

27. Now my soul is troubled : and what shall I say ? 



(v. 16.) Was glorified. This is, had risen from the dead, and 
ascended into heaven. 



JOHN. 387 

Father, save me from this hour? But it was for this 
reason that I came to this hour. 

28. Father, glorify thy name." Upon which a voice 
came from heaven : " I have glorified, and will glorify it 
again." 

29. Now the people, who stood by and heard, said that 
it thundered ; others said, " An angel hath spoken to 
him." 

30. Whence Jesus took occasion to answer, " It was 
not for me that the voice came, but for you. 

31. Now is come the judgment of this world. Now 
the ruler of this world will be cast out. 

32. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw 
all men to myself." 

33. — But this he said to point out the manner of 
death which he had to die. — 

34. The people answered him, " We have understood 
from the law, that the Messiah will remain for ever. 
How then dost thou say, that the son of man must be 
lifted up ? Who is this son of man ?" 

35. Wherefore Jesus said to them : " The light is still 
with you for a little time. Walk about while ye have 
light, that darkness may not surprise you. For he that 
walketh about in darkness, knoweth not whither he 
goeth. 

36. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye 
may be children of the light." 

37. After these words Jesus withdrew, and was hidden 
from them. Now, notwithstanding he had performed so 
many wonders in their presence, still they did not believe 
in him. 

38. So that the word of Isaias the prophet was accom- 

2c2 



388 John. 

plished, where he sayeth, Lord, who hath believed our 
report ? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been re- 
vealed ? — Is. liii. 1. 

39. On this account they could not believe; for Isaias 
had said, 

40. " He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their 
heart, so that they see not with their eyes, understand not 
with their heart, and are not converted, nor do I heal 
them:'— Is. vi. 9, 10. 

41. These things Tsaias said, when he saw his glory, 
and spake concerning him. 

42. Nevertheless several among the rulers believed in 
him : but on account of the pharisees did not own it, 
that they might not be cast out of the synagogue. 

43. For they loved glory from men more than glory 
from God. 

44. But Jesus cried out in these words : " He that be- 
lieveth in me, believeth not (only) in me, but in him that 
sent me. 

45. And he that beholdeth me, beholdeth him that 
sent me. 

46. I am come a light into the world, that no one who 
believeth in me, may remain in darkness. 

47. Should any man hear my words and believe them 
not, I do not condemn him, for I came not to condemn 
the world, but to save the world. 

48. But he that sets me at naught, and rejects my 
words, he hath who will condemn him. The word 
which I have spoken, that word will condemn him on 
the last day. 

(«. 47.) Believe not — pi) iriaTivari — non custodicrit. The 
Greek appears to present the better reading. 



John. 389 

49. Because I spake not of myself: but the father 
who sent me, he commanded me, what I should say, and 
what I should speak. 

50. Now I know that his command is life everlasting. 
Whatsoever then I speak, I speak according to the 
charge which the father hath given me." 



CHAPTER XIII. 

JESUS WASHETH THE FEET OF HIS DISCIPLES : AND 
FORETELLETH THE FALL OF PETER. 

1. Now before the feast of the passover, Jesus, aware 
that the time was come for him to pass out of this world 
to the father, as he had loved his own who were in the 
world, (showed that) he loved them unto the end. 

2. And during the supper — after the devil had put it 
into the heart of Judas the son of Simon, the Iscariot, 
to betray him— 



[v. 1.) Before the feast of the passover. Did then the supper 
described in this chapter take place before the Paschal supper ? 
Most certainly not. The narrative proves that it was the Paschal 
supper itself; for it relates the conversation respecting the perfidy 
of Judas, the sudden departure of that apostle, and the prediction 
of the denial by St. Peter, — all which, according to the three pre- 
ceding evangelists, happened during the Paschal supper. The 
object of St. John, in these words, appears to have been to suggest, 
that our Saviour's previous knowledge of his approaching death 
was the reason why, at this, his last supper, he gave so many 
marks of his affection to his apostles. 

(v. 2.) During the supper — cbl-vh yevo/uivn — ccena facta. It 
is no argument in favour of the latter rendering, that it is not the 
participle of the present tense, but of the aorist. The evangelists 
perpetually use the aorist, to denote something begun, but not 
ended. See particularly Mark vi. 2. That the supper was not 
ended on this occasion, is plain from w. 4, 12. 



390 JOHN. 

3. Knowing that the father had placed all things in 
his hands, and that he came from God, and was returning 
to God, 

4. He rose from supper, and laid aside his outer gar- 
ments, and, taking a towel, girded himself. 

5. And then he poured water into the ewer, and began 
to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with 
the towel, wherewith he was girded. 

6. He cometh therefore to Simon Peter, who sayeth to 
him, " Lord, dost thou wash my feet ?" 

7. Jesus made answer ; " What I am doing, thou dost 
not understand now : but thou shalt know hereafter." 

8. Peter sayeth to him: "Thou shalt never wash my 
feet." Jesus answered : " If I wash thee not, thou hast 
no part with me." 

9. Simon Peter sayeth to him, " Lord, not my feet 
only, but also my hands and my head." 

10. Jesus sayeth to him; "He that hath bathed, 
needeth not to wash more than his feet : his whole body 
being clean. And ye are clean, but not all of you." 

11. For he knew the traitor ; and therefore said, ye are 
not all clean. 

12. When therefore he had washed their feet, and put 
on his outward garments, he lay down again, and said, 
" Do ye understand, what I have been doing to you ? 

13. Ye call me master, and Lord. And ye say well, 
for so I am. 

14. If then I, the Lord and the master, have washed 
your feet, so ought ye to wash the feet of each other. 



(v. 10.) Our Saviour alludes to the custom of guests bathing at 
home, and then washing the feet only after their walk to the house 
when' they had to dine. 



JOHN. 391 

15. For I have set you an example, that as I have done 
to you, so ye may do, 

16. Verily, verily, I say to you, the bondman is 
not greater than his lord, nor the messenger greater than 
he who sendeth him. 

17. If ye understand these things, happy are ye, pro- 
vided ye do them. 

18. I speak not of you all. I know whom I have cho- 
sen. But to accomplish the scripture, he that eateth bread 
ivith me, hath lifted up his heel against me. — Ps. xl. 10. 

19. I tell it you now before it happen, that when it 
doth happen, ye may believe that I am he. 

20. Verily, verily, I say to you, he that shall receive 
whom I may send, receiveth me : and he that receiveth 
me, receiveth him who sent me." 

21. When Jesus had said this, he became troubled in 
spirit, and bare testimony, saying, " Verily, verily, I 
say to you, one of you will betray me." 

(v. 15.) Did not our Saviour, on this occasion, institute a 
sacrament ? Did he not command his disciples to wash one ano- 
ther's feet, and attach the promise of grace to that ceremony ? 
(See v. 8.) There does not appear to me any stronger proof from 
scripture that baptism and the eucharist are sacraments, than that 
this washing of feet is also one. It is, indeed, true that it was 
never considered such ; and that shows that the first Christians 
interpreted these writings by the doctrine which they had already 
imbibed from their instructors. From the knowledge which they 
already possessed, they were enabled to judge what was of pre- 
cept, and what was not. 

If it be asked, why then did our Saviour perform this ceremony 
at his last supper, I answer, that besides the lesson of humility 
which he then gave, he probably intended by it to point out to 
his disciples the necessity of purity of heart, in those who partake 
of the sacrament of his body and " blood. That it was meant as a 
figure of spiritual cleanness, is plain from vv. 8, 9, 10, 11; and it 
took place previously to th& institution of the eucharist. 



392 JOHN. 

22. Whereupon the disciples looked at one another, 
being at a loss of whom he spake. 

23. Now, one of the disciples, he whom Jesus loved, 
was lying against his bosom. 

24. To him, therefore, Simon Peter made a sign to 
inquire who it was of whom he spake. 

25. And he, leaning on the breast of Jesus, said to 
him, " Lord, who is it?" 

26. Jesus answered, " It is he to whom I shall give 
the morsel that I have dipped." And dipping the morsel, 
he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon, the Iscariot. 

27. And after the morsel, Satan entered into hiin. 
But Jesus said to him ; " What thou hast to do, do it 
speedily." 

28. But none of those at table knew for what purpose 
he spake this to him. 

29. For some, because Judas had the purse, thought 
that Jesus had told him, " Buy what is necessary for the 
festival, or to give something to the poor." 

30. And he, as soon as he had taken the morsel, went 
out. Now it was night. 

31. When he was gone, Jesus said, " Now is the son 
of man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 

32. But, if God be glorified in him, God will also 
glorify him in himself, and will glorify him without delay. 

(t\ 23.) To understand this, the reader should bear in mind 
that they did not sit, but lay obliquely at table, resting on the 
left arm, in which position the head of one came almost in contact 
with the breast of the other behind him. 

(v. 29.) It should be remembered, that the festival lasted till 
the eighth day. 

(w. 31, 32.) This is an allusion to the glory which he should 
give to God by his death, and the glory which God would give 
to him in his resurrection and ascension. 



JOHN. 393 

33. My little children, I have but a little time to be 
with you. Ye will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, 
whither I go, ye cannot come, so also I say to you. 

34. But I give you a new commandment, that ye love 
one another. That, even, as I have loved you, ye also 
love one another. 

35. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, 
if ye possess love one towards the other." 

36. Simon Peter sayeth to him, '" Lord, whither art 
thou going ?" Jesus answered ; " Whither I am going, 
thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt follow 
hereafter." 

37. Peter sayeth to him ; " Why cannot I follow thee 
now ? I will lay down my life in thy stead." 

38. Jesus answered : " Thou wilt lay down thy life in 
my stead ? Verily, verily, I say to thee, the cock will 
not crow, until thou hast disowned me thrice." 



CHAPTER XIV. 

THE DISCOURSE OF JESUS TO THE APOSTLES BEFORE 
HIS PASSION. 

1 . " Let not your hearts be troubled. Ye believe in God ; 
believe also in me. 

2. In my father's house are many mansions. Were it 



{v. 33.) My little children. He uses this term of endearment, 
now that he is about to leave them, and bids them preserve among 
themselves, after his departure, that love for each other, of which 
he had given them the example. 

(Ibid.) This is another instance of loose quotation. In c. vii. 
v. 34, the words are where I am, not whither I go. 



394 JOHN. 

otherwise, I should have told you. I go to prepare a 
place for you. 

3. But if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come 
again, and take you to myself: that where I am, ye also 
may be. 

4. Now, whither I am going, ye know, and the way 
ye know." 

5. Thomas sayeth to him, " Lord, we know not whither 
thou art going : how then can we know the way ?" 

6. Jesus sayeth to him ; "lam the way, and the truth, 
and the life. No man goeth to the father but through 
me. 

7. If ye had known me, ye would have known my 
father : and henceforth ye will know him, for ye have 
seen him." 

8. Philip sayeth to him, * Lord, show us the father, 
and it will suffice." 

9. Jesus sayeth to him. " Have I been so long with 
you, Philip, and yet thou knowest me not. He that 
hath seen me, hath seen the father. How sayest thou 
then show us the father ? 

10. Dost thou not believe that I am in the father, and 
the father in me ? The words which I speak to you, I 
speak not of myself : but the father, who dwelleth in me, 
he doeth the works. 

11. Believe me, that I am in the father, and the father 
is in me : if for no other reason believe me, on account 
of my works. 

12. Verily, verily, 1 say to you, the believer in me 
shall do the works which I do, yea, shall do much 
greater works ; because I am going to my father ; 

13. And I will do whatsoever ye may ask in my name, 
that the father may be glorified in the son. 



JOHN. 395 

14. If ye ask any thing in my name, that will 1 do." 

15. " If ye love me, keep my commandments; 

16. And I will ask the father, and he will give you 
another paraclete, that he may remain with you for ever, 

17. The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot 
receive, because it neither seeth him nor knoweth him : 
but ye shall know him, because he will dwell with you, 
and be in you. 

18. I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you. 

19. Yet, a little while, and the world seeth me no 
more. But ye will see me, because I shall live, and ye 
shall live. 

20. On that day ye shall understand that I am in my 
father, and ye in me, and I in you. 

21. He that holdeth and keepeth my commandments, 
he it is who loveth me : and he that loveth me, will be 
loved by my father ; and I will love him, and will dis- 
cover myself to him." 

22. Judas, not the Iscariot, sayeth to him : " Lord, 
what is the reason that thou wilt discover thyself to us, 
and not to the world ?" 

28. Jesus said to him in answer, " If any man love me 
he will keep my word, and my father will love him, and 
we will come to him, and make abode with him. 

24. But he that loveth me not, keepeth not my words, 
though the word which you hear is not mine, but the 
word of him who sent me." 



(v. 16.) Paraclete is a word peculiar to this evangelist. But 
its meaning is plain from the context. The holy spirit was to be 
to the apostles what Christ had hitherto been; he was to be, 
another paraclete, that is, guide, and teacher, and protector. As 
there is no English word which exactly answers to paraclete, I 
have retained the original term. 



396 john. 

25. " These things have I spoken to you, while I am 
with you. 

26. But the paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the 
father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, 
and bring to your remembrance, all the things which I 
have told you. 

27. Peace I bequeath to you: my peace I give to you : not 
as the world giveth, do I give to you. Let not your 
hearts be troubled ; nor let them be afraid. 

28. Ye have heard, what I said to you ; / go, and I 
come back to you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, that 
I go to the father, for the father is greater than I. 

29. And I have told you now, before it happen, that 
when it doth happen, ye may believe. 

30. Henceforth I shall not speak much with you. For 
the ruler of this world is coming : and there is nothing 
of his in me : 

31. But, that the world may know that I love the 
father, and that, as the father hath given me command, 
so do I : arise, let us go hence." 

CHAPTER XV. 

CONTINUATION OF THE SAME. 

1. "I am the true vine, and my father is the hus- 
bandman. 

2. Every branch in me that yieldeth not fruit, he lop- 
peth off: and every branch that yieldeth fruit, he cleanseth 
(by pruning) that it may yield increase of fruit. 

(vv. 30, 31.) There is nothing in me for which I deserve to 
suffer death ; but to show that I am willing to suffer as God 
pleases, let us go to the place where I shall fall into the hands of 
my enemies. 



JOHN. 397 

3. Ye are already cleansed through the word which I 
have spoken to you. 

4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot 
yield fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither 
can ye, unless ye abide in me. 

5. I am the vine, ye the branches. If a man abide 
in me, and I in him, he will yield much fruit: for, 
separate from me ye can do nothing. 

6. If a man abide not in me, he will be cast forth, and 
wither away like the branches, which they gather up, 
and throw into the fire, and burn. 

7. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye 
shall ask for whatsoever ye wish, and it shall be done 
for you." 

8. " In this is my father glorified, that ye yield much 
fruit, and prove yourselves my disciples. 

9. As the father hath loved me, so have I loved you : 
do ye persevere in the love of me. 

] 0. If ye keep my commandments, ye will persevere 
in the love of me, as I have kept the commandments of 
my father, and persevere in the love of him. 

11. These things have I spoken to you, that my joy 
may endure in you, and your joy maybe complete." 

12. " This is my commandment, that ye love one 
another, as I have loved you. 

13. Greater love than this no man hath, that he lay 
down his life for his friends. 

14. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever thing I 
command you. 

15. Henceforth I do not call you bondmen, for the 
bondman knoweth not what his master meaneth to do : 



398 john. 

but I have called you friends, because to you I have com- 
municated whatsoever I have learned from my father. 

16. It is not that ye have chosen me : but I have chosen 
you, and appointed you to go forth and to yield fruit, which 
fruit may endure : so that whatsoever ye may ask the 
father in my name, he may grant you." 

17. " This is my command to you, that ye love one 
another. 

18. If the world hate you, remember that it hated me 
before you. 

19. If ye were of the world, the world would love its 
own : but because ye are not of the world, and because I 
have chosen you out of the world, on that account doth 
the world hate you." 

20. "Remember the saying which I quoted to you : that 
the bondman is not greater than his lord. (c. xiii. 16.): 
if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you : 
if they have kept my word, then will they keep yours also. 

21. But all these things will they do to you for my 
name's sake, because they know not him who sent me. 

22. Had I not come and spoken to them, they would 
not be guilty of sin : but now they have no excuse for 
their sin. 

23. He that hateth me, hateth my father also. 

24. If I had not performed among them works, which 
no one else hath performed, they would not have been 
guilty of sin : but now they have seen and hated both me 
and my father ; 

25. So that the word written in their law hath been 
accomplished : they have hated me ivithout cause. Ps. xxiv. 
20, xxxiv. 22. 



JOHN. 399 

26. But when the paraclete shall come, whom I shall 
send to you from the father, the spirit of truth, who pro- 
ceeded! from the father, he will bear testimony of me. 

27. And ye also shall bear testimony, because ye have 
been with me from the beginning." 



CHAPTER XVI. 

CONTINUATION OF THE SAME. 

1. These things have I spoken to you, that ye may not 
be made to fall away. 

2. They will cast you out of the synagogues , yea, the 
hour cometh when every man who slayeth you, will think 
that he offereth a sacrifice to God. 

3. And these things will they do to you, because they 
have not known the father nor me. 

4. Now of these things I have told you, that when 
their time shall come, ye may remember that I told you. 

5. I did not, indeed, tell you of them at first, because 
I was with you : but now I am going to him who sent 
me. Yet not one of you asketh me, " Whither art thou 
going ?" 

6. Still because I have told you of these things, grief 
hath filled your hearts. 

7. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is for your 
benefit that I am going. For, if I go not, the paraclete 
will not come to you ; but, if I go, I will send him to 
you. 

8. And when he shall come, he will convict the world 
concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment. 

9. Concerning (their) sin : for they have not believed in 
me. 



400 JOHN. 

10. Concerning (my) righteousness, for I go to the 
father, and ye will see me no more. 

11. And concerning judgment, for the ruler of this 
world will have been judged." 

12. "I have still many things to say to you, but you 
cannot bear them now. 

13. But, when he, the spirit of truth, shall come, he 
will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak 
of himself: but will speak whatsoever things he hath 
heard, and will announce to you the things to come. 

14. He will give glory to me : for of mine he will re- 
ceive and communicate to you. 

15. Whatsoever belongeth to the father, is mine. It 
was on that account I said, of mine he will receive, and 
communicate to you" 

16. "Yet a little while, and ye behold me not : and 
again a little while, and ye will see me. For I am going 
to the father." 

17. Hereupon some of the disciples said to one another: 
" What meaneth this that he sayeth to us ; yet a little 
while, and ye behold me not ; and again a little while, and 
yeivill see me, and I am going to the father ?" 

18. Therefore they said, " What meaneth this little 
while of which he speaketh ? We understand not what 
he sayeth." 

19. Now Jesus knowing that they wished to ask him, 
said to them, " Of this are ye inquiring among yourselves, 
that I said, yet a little while, and ye behold me not, and 
again a little while, and ye will see mo. f 

(v. 11.) Christ, by liis death and resurrection, will have sub- 
dued the power of Satan. 



JOHN. 401 

20. Verily, verily, I say to you, ye shall wail and 
lament ; but the world shall rejoice ; ye shall be in sor- 
row ; but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 

21. A woman in labour hath sorrow, because her hour 
is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she 
thinketh no more of her pain, through joy that a man is 
born into the world. 

22. So therefore ye will have sorrow now : but I will 
see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and your joy 
no one shall wrest from you. 

23. Now in that day ye will not ask me for anything. 

24. (For) verily, verily, I say to you, whatsoever ye 
shall ask of the father in my name, he will give it you. 
Hitherto ye have not asked for anything in my name ; 
ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be complete. 

25. These things I have spoken to you in figures. But 
the time is coming, when I will not speak in figures , 
but will announce to you plainly concerning the father. 

26. And on that day ye will ask in my name : nor do 
I tell you that I will ask the father in your behalf : 

27. For the father himself loveth you, because ye have 
loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. 

28. 1 came out from the father, and have come into 
the world. Again I leave the world, and am going to 
the father." 

29. His disciples say to him, " Lo, now thou speakest 
plainly, and utterest no figure. 



(v. 29.) Hitherto, as he had said, he had spoken according to 
his custom in figurative and obscure language. It would appear 
that he wished chiefly to impress his language on their minds, 
with the intention of bringing it afterwards to their remembrance, 
and of imparting to them through the Holy Ghost a knowledge of 

2 D 



402 JOHN. 

30. Now we know that thou knowest all things, and 
hast no need that any one ask thee questions. By this 
we believe that thou hast come out from God. 

31. Jesus answered them: "Is it only now that ye 
believe ? 

32. Behold the time is coming, yea, it is come, when 
ye will be scattered every man unto his own, and will 
leave me by myself, yet I shall not be by myself, because 
the father is with me. 

33. These things have I spoken to you, that in me 
ye may find peace. In the world ye will meet with 
tribulation : but be of good heart : I have conquered the 
world." 



CHAPTER XVII. 

HIS PRAYER FOR HIS DISCIPLES. 

1. These were the things which Jesus spake. Then, rais- 
ing up his eyes to heaven, he said, " Father, the hour is 
come. Glorify thou thy son, that thy son may glorify thee, 

2. Accordingly as thou hast given to him power over 
all flesh, to give everlasting life to all whom thou hast 
given to him. 

its true meaning. It was sufficient for them to understand, at that 
time, that he was about to leave the world, and return to the 
Father, who had sent him. This he told them plainly, and this 
they grant that they understand. 

It should, moreover, be observed, that the obscurity which the 
apostles found in this discourse of our Saviour, has been encreased 
to us by the translation of the evangelist, who employs indeed 
Greek works, but selects and arranges them after the Hebrew 
idiom. In addition, he appears occasionally to have omitted pas- 
sages necessary for the understanding of other passages which 
follow. Hence, though the general scope of the discourse may 
be satisfactorily discovered, we can do little more than guess at 
the meaning of certain portions of it. 



JOHN. 403 

3. Now life everlasting is this, to know thee, the only 
true God, and hirn, whom thou hast sent, Jesus Messiah. 

4. I have glorified thee upon earth : I have accom- 
plished the work which thouhadst appointed me to perform. 

5. And now do thou glorify me, father, with that 
glory in thy presence, which I possessed in thy presence 
before the world was. 

6. I have made thy name known to those men, whom 
thou gavest to me out of the world : thine they were, 
and to me didst thou give them : and they have kept thy 
word. 

7. And now they know that all the things which thou 
gavest me, have come from thee. 

8. For the words which thou didst give to me, I have 
given to them : and they have received them, and have 
known for a truth, that I came out from thee, and have 
believed that thou didst send me. 

9. For them I pray. It is not for the world that I 
pray, but for those whom thou hast given me : for they 
are thine — 

10. — Indeed all mine are thine, and thine are mine — 
and I have been glorified in them. 

11. And I remain no longer in the world : but they 
remain in the world ; while I come to thee. 

12. Holy Father, preserve in thy name those whom 
thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we. While 
I was with them in the world I preserved them in thy 
name, those whom thou gavest to me, I have kept ; and 
not one of them hath perished, except the son of per- 
dition, that the scripture might be fulfilled. 

13. But now I come to thee: and these things I speak, 
being in the world, that they may possess in themselves 
the fulness of my joy. 

2 d2 



404 JOHN. 

14. I have given thy word to them ; and the world 
hath hated them, because, as I am not of the world, so 
neither are they of the world. 

15. I pray not, that thou wouldst take them out of the 
world, hut that thou wouldst preserve them from evil. 

16. They are not of the world, as I also am not of the 
world. 

17. Hallow them by thy truth : it is thy word that is 
truth. 

18. As thou didst send me into the world, so have I 
sent them into the world. 

19. And for them do I hallow myself, that they also 
may be hallowed in truth. 

20. Nor for them alone do I pray, but for those who 
shall believe in me through their word. 

21. That all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and 
I in thee : that so they also may be one in us, to the end, 
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 

22. And the glory, which thou hast given to me, I 
have given to them, that they may be one, as we are one, 

23. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be per- 
fectly united in one, that the world may know that thou 
hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 

24. Father, it is my wish, that, where T am, those also 
whom thou hast given me, may be with me ; that they 
may see the glory which thou hast given me, because 
thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. 

25. Righteous father, the world, indeed, hath not 
known thee : but I have known thee, and these have 
known that thou didst send me. 

26. And to them have I made known, and will make 
known thy name, that the love, with which thou hast 
loved me, and I also, may be in them." 



JOHN. 405 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

THE PASSION. 

1. After Jesus had said these words, he went forth 
with his disciples, and crossed the brook of Cedron, 
where there was a garden, into which he entered with his 
disciples. 

2. Now Judas, the traitor, was also acquainted with 
the place, because Jesus often resorted thither with his 
disciples. 

3. Thereupon, Judas taking with him the company (of 
soldiers), and certain officers appointed by the high priests 
and pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns, and torches 
and weapons. 

4. Jesus, therefore, with a knowledge of all that was 
to happen to him, went forward, and said to them, 
" Whom do ye seek ?" 

5. They replied, " Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus sayeth 
to them, " I am he." Now Judas the traitor stood also 
among them. 

6 . But, as he said to them, / am he, they went back- 
wards, and fell to the ground. 

7. Again therefore he asked them, " Whom do ye 
seek ?" And they said, " Jesus of Nazareth." 

8. Jesus answered, " I have told you that I am he. 
If then ye seek me, let these go their way." 

9. That the word might be accomplished which he had 
spoken, Out of those whom thou hast given me, I have lost 
no one. (c. xvii. 12.) 

(v. 1.) Cedron. See Josephus, de Bello, v. 2. 

(•0.9.) Out of those, &c. If the reader turn back to the last 
chapter, (v. 12) he will find very different words, though of the 
same meaning. If the evangelist quote in this manner from his 
own writings, we cannot be surprised if he do the same from the 
writings of the prophets. 



406 JOHN. 

10. Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it, and 
smote the bondman of the high priest, and cut off his 
right ear. Now the bondman's name was Malchus. 

11. Upon this, Jesus said to Peter: "Return thy 
sword into the scabbard ; the cup, which my father hath 
given me, shall I not drink it ?" 

12. The soldiers, therefore, and the commander, and 
the officers of the Jews, took hold of Jesus, and bound 
him ; 

13. And brought him in the first place to Annas, the 
father-in-law of Caiphas, who was the high priest of 
that year. 

14. And Caiphas was the man who had given his opi- 
nion to the Jews, that it was for their interest that one 
man should perish instead of the people fc. xi. 50 J 

15. Now Simon Peter and another disciple followed 
Jesus. That disciple was known to the high priest, and 
went together with Jesus into the court of the high 
priest. 

16. But Peter stood without at the door: whereupon 
the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, 
went out and spake to the portress, and introduced Peter. 

17. Then the maiden, the portress, said to Peter, " Art 
thou also one of the disciples of this man ?" He said, 
" I am not." 

18. Now the bondmen and officers had made a fire, 
because it was cold, and stood warming themselves, and 
among them Peter stood, and warmed himself. 

19. And the high priest asked Jesus concerning his 
disciples, and his doctrine. 

20. Jesus made answer, " I have spoken openly to the 



JOHN. 407 

world; I taught always in the synagogue and in the 
temple, whither the Jews always resort ; and in secret I 
have spoken nothing. 

21. Why dost thou ask me? — Ask the hearers what I 
said to them : lo, they know what things I have uttered." 

22. Now when he had said this, one of the officers 
standing by, gave Jesus a blow, and said, " Is this the 
answer which thou makest to the high priest?" 

23. Jesus answered, " If I have spoken ill, prove that 
ill; but if well, why dost thou smite me ?" — 

24. Now Annas had sent him in bonds to the high 
priest Caiaphas. — 

25. But Peter was still standing and warming him- 
self, when they said to him, " Art thou also one of his 
disciples ?" But he denied it, and said, " I am not." 

26. Now one of the high priest's slaves, a kinsman of 
him whose ear Peter had cut off, said, " Did I not see 
thee in the garden with him ?" 

27. Whereupon Peter again denied it, and immediately 
the cock crowed. 

28. From Caiaphas they led Jesus to the governor's 
palace : but it was morning, and they did not go into 
the palace, that they might not be denied, but might eat 
of the paschal sacrifices. 

29. Pilate, therefore, came forth to them, and said, 
" What charge do ye make against this man ?" 



(v. 28.) Paschal sacrifices. They had already eaten of the 
paschal lamb ; but the sacrifices offered during the paschal time 
of eight days, were designated by the common name of 7raVxa. 
See Deut. xvi. ; Chron. xxxv. 7, 8, 9. 



408 JOHN. 

30. They made answer, " If he were not a malefactor, 
we should not have delivered him up to thee." 

31. Wherefore Pilate said, " Take him yourselves, and 
judge him according to your own law." But the Jews 
said to him, " We are not allowed to put any one to 
death." 

32. — That the saying of Jesus might be verified, 
pointing out the manner of death by which he should 
die. — 

33. Pilate thereupon entered the palace, and calling 
for Jesus, said to him, st Art thou the king of the Jews ?" 

34. JesuS answered, " Dost thou ask this of thyself, or 
have others told thee this of me ?" 

35. Pilate replied: " Am I a Jew? Thine own nation 
and the high priests have delivered thee to me. — What 
hast thou done ?" 

36. Jesus answered, " My kingdom is not of this 
world : if my kingdom had been of this world, my sub- 
jects would have fought to prevent my being delivered to 
the Jews. But my kingdom is not hence. 

37. Pilate, therefore, said to him, " Thou art a king 
then." Jesus answered, " Thou speakest truth. I am a 
king. For this purpose was E born, and for this purpose 
did I come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. 
Whosoever is of the truth, hearkeneth to my voice." 

38. Pilate sayeth to him, " What is truth ?" And 
having said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said 
to them, " I discover no guilt in him. 

39. But it is your custom, that I should discharge to 
you a prisoner during the passover. Will ye then that I 
discharge to you the king of the Jews ?" 

40. But they all called out in opposition, saying, " Not 
this man, but Barabbas." Now Barabbas was a robber. 






JOHN. 409 

CHAPTER XIX. 

THE DEATH OF JESUS. 

1. Wherefore Pilate then took Jesus, and scourged 
him. 

2. And the soldiers, platting a crown of thorns, placed 
it on his head, and threw round him a purple cloak. 

3. And approaching, they said, " Hail, king of the 
Jews," and gave him hlows. 

4. Wherefore Pilate went out again, and said to them, 
" Lo, I bring him out to you, that ye may know that I 
can discover no guilt in him." 

5. Jesus, therefore, came out, wearing the crown of 
thorns, and the cloak of purple. And (Pilate) said to 
them, " Behold the man." 

6. But, when the high priests and the officers saw him, 
they cried out, saying, " Crucify him, crucify him." 
Pilate said to them, " Take him yourselves, and crucify 
him, for I find no guilt in him." 

7. The Jews made answer : " We have a law according 
to which law he ought to die, because he hath made 
himself to be the son of God." 

8. But when Pilate heard this, he was more alarmed. 

9. And going back into the palace, he said to Jesus, 
" Whence art thou ?" But Jesus made no answer. 

10. Pilate said to him : " Wilt thou not speak to me ? 
Art thou ignorant that I have power to crucify thee, and 
power to discharge thee ?" 

11. Jesus answered, "Thou wouldst have no power 
over me at all, if it were not given to thee from above v 
Therefore he that delivered me to thee, hath the greater 
sin." 

12. From that moment Pilate sought to discharge him : 



410 JOHN. 

but the Jews cried out, saying, " If thou discharge this 
man, thou art no friend of Caesar's. For he, who 
maketh himself to be king, is Caesar's adversary." 

13. When Pilate heard these cries, he led forth Jesus, 
and took his seat on the tribunal, in the place called the 
pavement, in Hebrew Gabbatha. 

14. — Now it was the eve of the sabbath, about the 
sixth hour — and he said to the Jews, " Behold, your 
king." 

15. But they cried, "Away, away with him; crucify 
him." Pilate said to them, " Am I to crucify your king ?" 
The high priests replied, " We have no king but Caesar." 

16. Then, therefore, he gave him up to them to be 
crucified : and they took Jesus, and led him away. 

17. And he went forth, carrying his cross, to that 
place called the place of skulls, which in Hebrew is 
Golgotha, 

18. Where they crucified him, and with him other 
two, one on each side, and Jesus in the middle. 



{v. 14.) The eve — TrapaffKevi) rov 7raa^a. The preparatory day 
of the sabbath during the paschal week. 

(Ibid.) About the sixth hour. If it was about the sixth hour 
when Pilate pronounced sentence, how could St. Mark say (xv. 
25) that it was the third when he was crucified ? The latter 
appears to be supported by the narratives of St. Matthew and St. 
Luke ; (Matt, xxvii. 45 ; Luke xxiii. 44,) from which the natural 
inference is, that Jesus had been for some time hanging on the 
cross, before the darkness came on, which lasted from the sixth 
hour to the ninth. Is it not possible that some ancient copyist 
may have transposed this verse from some subsequent part of the 
chapter, or have mistaken the numerical letter which he was trans- 
cribing ? Or may it not be, that the whole interval between nine 
and twelve was included in the third hour, and that St. John, by 
the words of ' about the sixth hour,' means some time before the 
commencement of that hour. 



JOHN. 411 

19. Pilate wrote also an inscription, and fixed it on 
the cross. The inscription was, Jesus of Nazareth, 

KING OF THE JEWS. 

20. Now as the place, where they crucified Jesus, was 
nigh to the city, rnany of the Jews read this inscription, 
which was written in the Hebrew, Greek, and Roman 
languages. 

21. Whereupon the high priests said to Pilate, "Do 
not write, the king of the Jews, but that he said, I am 
king of the Jews." 

22. Pilate replied, " What I have written, I have 
written." 

23. Then the soldiers, when they had fixed him to the 
cross, took his garments — of which they made four parts, 
one for each soldier — and his vest : but the vest was 
seamless, woven altogether from the top. 

24. They said, therefore, to one another, " Let us not 
divide it, but throw lots for it, whose it shall be," — to the 
accomplishment of the scripture, which sayeth, they di- 
vided my garments among them, and for my vesture they 
cast lots. — Ps. xxi. 19. Thus, therefore, the soldiers did. 

25. But there stood near the cross of Jesus, his mother 
and his mother's sister Mary, the wife of Cleophas, and 
Mary Magdalene. 

26. Jesus, therefore, seeing his mother, and the disciple 
whom he loved, standing by (her), said to his mother, 
" Woman, behold thy son." 

27. Then he sayeth to the disciple, " Behold thy 
mother," and from that hour the disciple took her to his 
own home. 

28. After this, Jesus, aware that every thing was ac- 



412 JOHN. 

complished, said, that he might fulfil the scripture (Ps. 
lxviii. 26 J, " I thirst." 

29. Now there was there a vessel full of vinegar : and 
they, filling a sponge with vinegar, and fastening it to a 
rod of hyssop, put it to his mouth. 

30. When, therefore, Jesus had taken the vinegar, he 
said, " It is accomplished j" and bowing his head, he 
gave up the ghost. 

31. Now the Jews, that the bodies might not remain 
on the cross during the Sabbath — for it was the eve of 
the Sabbath, and that Sabbath day was a great day — 
besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and 
(the bodies) taken away. 

32. The soldiers therefore came, and brake the legs of 
the first, and also of the other, who were crucified with 
him. 

33. But when they came to Jesus, and found that he 
was already dead, they did not break his legs, 

34. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a 
spear, and blood and water gushed out. 

35. And he who saw it, beareth testimony, and his 
testimony is conformable to truth. He knoweth that he 
speaketh the truth, to the end that you may believe. 

36. For these things happened for the accomplishment 
of the scripture, Ye shall not break one of his bones. 
— Ex. xii. 46. Num. ix. 12. 

37. And again another scripture sayeth, They shall look 
into him whom they hate pierced. — Zach. xii. 10. 



(v: 36.) Ye shall not break. This was said originally of the 
paschal lamb, the type of Messiah. Of course it referred to Mes- 
siah himself; for no bone of the lamb was to be broken, that it 
might be a representation of him who was to be put to death with- 
out any fracture of his limbs. 



JOHN. 413 

38. After this, Joseph of Arimathea — he was a disciple 
of Jesus, but a secret one through fear of the Jews — 
asked permission of Pilate to take away the body of 
Jesus. Pilate granted it : wherefore he came, and took 
away the body of Jesus. 

39. Nicodemus also — he that came formerly to Jesus 
by night— came, bringing with him a mixture of myrrh 
and aloes, about one hundred pounds in weight. 

40. They therefore took the body of Jesus, and wound 
it in linen rollers, together with the spices, after the Jew- 
ish method of embalming. 

41. Now there was a garden in the place where he was 
crucified, and in the garden a new sepulchre, in which 
no one had been hitherto laid. 

42. There, on account of the preparatory day of the 
Jews, they deposited Jesus : as the sepulchre was close by. 



CHAPTER XX. 

THE RESURRECTION. 

1. On the first day of the week, early in the morning, 
and while it was yet dark, Mary Magdalene goeth to the 
sepulchre, and seeth the stone removed from the sepulchre. 

2. Whereupon she cometh running to Simon Peter, 
and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and sayeth to 
them, " They have taken away the Lord out of the 
sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him." 



{v. 1.) The stone. What stone ? This evangelist has men- 
tioned none. Had he not in his mind the narratives of the other 
evangelists, by whom the stone is mentioned, as the door which 
closed the sepulchre ? 



414 JOHN. 

3. At this, Peter and the other disciple went out, and 
came to the sepulchre. 

4. They both ran at the same time, but the other dis- 
ciple outran Peter, and was first at the sepulchre. 

5. And stooping down, he saw the linen rollers lying, 
but did not go in. 

6. But Simon Peter coming after him, went into the 
sepulchre, and seeth the linen rollers lying, 

7. And the kerchief, which had been wrapped about 
his head, not laid with the rollers, but folded up separ- 
ately in another place. 

8. Then the other disciple who came first to the sepul- 
chre, went in, and saw, and believed. 

9. For they did not yet understand the scripture, that 
he was to rise from the dead. 

10. Wherefore the disciples returned to their own 
house. 

11. Mary, however, stood without, at the sepulchre, 
in tears ; and while she was weeping, stooped down and 
looked into the sepulchre. 

12. And she seeth two angels in white garments, 
sitting one at the head, and the other at the foot, where 
the body of Jesus had been laid. 

1 3. Then they say to her, " Woman, why art thou 
weeping ?" She sayeth to them, " Because they have 
taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have 
laid him." 

14. And, as she said this, she turned back, and beheld 
Jesus standing by, but was not aware that he was Jesus. 

15. Jesus sayeth to her, " Woman, why art thou 
weeping? Whom dost thou seek ?" She, thinking that 
he had the charge of the garden, sayeth to him, " Sir, 



JOHN. 415 

if thou hast removed him, tell me where thou hast laid 
him, and I will take him away." 

16. Jesus sayeth to her, " Mary." She turneth, and 
sayeth to him, "Rabboni," which meaneth, Teacher : 

17. Jesus sayeth to her, "Touch me not. For I have 
not yet ascended to my father. But go thou to my breth- 
ren, and say to them (from me), I am about to ascend 
to my father and your father, my God and your God." 

18. Then Mary Magdalene came, and informed the 
disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had 
spoken these things to her. 



(v. 18.) In the several narratives of the resurrection by the four 
evangelists, there are many discrepancies, which appear to be 
owing to their want of skill in historic composition. Not one of 
them has given a full and detailed account. Each seems to have 
mentioned only such particulars as occurred to him at the moment 
of writing; they all connect together events which happened at 
different hours, and attribute sometimes to one individual what 
belongs to several, and sometimes to several what belongs to one. 
To reconcile their narratives, several plans have been adopted : 
the following is as likely to be correct as any other. 

On the Saturday, after sunset, the women resumed their prepa- 
rations for the embalming, and bought additional spices. When 
all was ready, they set out for the sepulchre ; but at what hour of 
the night, we are ignorant. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary 
went forward, dewprjcrat tov racpov : whence it is not improbable 
that they preceded the rest, for the purpose of ascertaining that all 
was safe. 

While they were on the road, there happened an earthquake, 
or violent storm ; during which, it is likely that they would stop 
somewhere for shelter. During the twilight they reached the 
sepulchre, and found it open. 

Mary Magdalene looking in, and seeing that the body was 
gone, returned in haste, to bring the information to the apostles : 
the others, who perhaps arrived there a little later, entered, and 
saw two angels, one of whom announced to them the resurrection, 
and ordered them to acquaint the disciples with it. 

Whilst they were on their return for this purpose, Peter and 
John, having heard the report of Mary Magdalene, ran to the 
sepulchre. The two parties did not meet. Nor is this surprising : 



416 JOHN. 

19. Late in the evening of that day, the first of the 
week, while the doors were closed where the disciples 
were assembled, through fear of the Jews, Jesus came, 
and stood in the midst, and said to them, " Peace be to 
you." 

20. And, after he had said this, he shewed them his 
hands and his side. Wherefore the disciples were filled 
with joy at the sight of the Lord. 

21. Then Jesus said to them again. " Peace be to you. 
As the father hath sent me, so also I send you." 

22. And, as he spake, he breathed upon them and 
said, " Receive ye the Holy Ghost. 

23. Of whomsoever ye forgive the sins, they are for- 



the apostles, in their haste, would choose the shortest way ; and 
both they and the women, through fear of attracting the notice of 
the Jews, would seek to avoid all passengers on the road. 

Peter and John, being convinced that the body was gone, 
returned. Mary Magdalene, who had followed them, remained 
behind, and was favoured with a sight of our blessed Lord. 

In the meantime, the other women had related what they had 
seen to the rest of the apostles. 

The chief objection to this account is, that according to St. 
Matthew, our Saviour himself appeared to the body of women, 
and ordered them to announce his resurrection to his brethren, 
(xxviii. 9.) But we are assured by St. Mark, that his first appa- 
rition was to Mary Magdalene, (xvi. 9.) The same follows 
from the narrative of St. John ; (xx. 15) and St. Luke tells us 
that their account to the apostles was, that they had seen a vision 
of angels, not our Saviour himself, (xxiv. 22.) The apparition, 
therefore, of which St. Matthew speaks, must have happened later 
in the day : perhaps they visited the sepulchre again, and were 
then rewarded with a sight of their Lord and Saviour. 

{v. 19.) The doors were closed, through fear of the Jews. 
But why were they assembled ? Most probably to consult toge- 
ther, on account of the report which they had received respecting 
the disappearance of the body. There can be no reason to sup- 
pose, as some have done, that it was for the purpose of religious 
worship, and because it was the day of the resurrection. They 
did not yet fully believe in the resurrection. 



JOHN. 417 

given to them : and of whomsoever ye retain (the sins), 
they are retained." 

24. Now Thomas, who is called the twin — one of the 
twelve, was not with them, when Jesus came. 

25. Wherefore the other disciples said to him, " We 
have seen the Lord." But he replied, " Unless I see in 
his hands the impression of the nails, and put my finger 
into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his 
side, I will never helieve it." 

26. Now eight days afterwards, the disciples were 
again within, and Thomas with them: and Jesus, though 
the doors were closed, came and stood in the midst, and 
said, " Peace be to you." 

27. Then sayeth he to Thomas, " Reach thy finger 
hither, and look at my hands, and stretch out thy hand, 
and put it into my side : and disbelieve not, but believe." 

28. Then Thomas answered, and said to him, " My 
Lord and my God." 

29. Jesus sayeth to him : " Thou hast believed, Tho- 
mas, because thou hast seen me. Happy they, who 
though they see not, yet believe." 

30. Many other wonders did Jesus also work in the pre- 
sence of his disciples, which are not written in this book : 

31. But these are written, to the end ye may believe 
that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, and through 
this belief may have life in his name. 



(v. 30.) This looks very like die conclusion of the gospel : and 
it is not improbable, that when the evangelist wrote it, he intended 
it as such, but that he afterwards thought proper to add the fol- 
lowing chapter, which bears internal proof of having been also 
written by him. 



2 E 



-118 JOHN. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

ANOTHER MANIFESTATION OF JESUS TO HIS DISCIPLES. 

1. After this Jesus manifested himself again to his 
disciples at the sea of Tiberias. And he manifested 
himself thus. 

2. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, 
called the twin, and Nathanael, who came from Cana of 
Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his 
disciples. 

3. Simon Peter said to them, " I am going to fish." 
They said to him, " We also will go with thee." And 
immediately they went on board a bark, but that night 
they caught nothing. 

4. In the morning Jesus was standing on the shore, 
but the disciples were not aware that he was Jesus. 

5. Jesus therefore said to them, " Friends, have ye 
anything to eat?" They answered him, " No." 

6. He said to them, " Cast the net on the right side of 
the bark, and ye will find." And they did cast, and 
were unable to draw it up for the multitude of fishes. 

7. Upon this the disciple whom Jesus loved, said to 
Peter, " It is the Lord." Now, when Simon Peter heard 
that it was the Lord, he put on his upper garment, for 
he was without clothes — and went down into the sea. 

8. But the other disciples came in the boat — for they 
were not more than about two hundred cubits from the 
land — dragging the net full of fish. 

9. And when they landed, they saw a fire kindled, and 
fish laid thereon, and bread. 

10. Jesus sayeth to them, ''Bring some of the fish 
which ye have just caught." 



JOHN. 419 

1 1 . Simon Peter went back, and drew to land the net 
full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three. And, 
many as they were, the net was not rent. 

12. Jesus sayeth to them ; " Come and dine." Now 
none of the disciples presumed to ask him, " Who art 
thou ?" knowing that he was the Lord. 

13. Jesus therefore cometh and taketh bread, and 
giveth to them, and the fish in like manner. 

14. And this was the third time that Jesus manifested 
himself to his disciples, after his rising from the dead. 

15. When therefore they had dined, Jesus sayeth to 
Simon Peter, " Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me 
more than these ?" He sayeth to him, " Yea, Lord, 
thou knowest that I love thee." He sayeth to him, 
" Feed my lambs." 

16. Again he sayeth to him a second time, " Simon, 
son of Jonas, dost thou love me?" He sayeth to him, 
" Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." He sayeth 
to him, " Take care of my sheep." 

{v. 11.) One hundred and fifty-three. It is pretended by Rit- 
tershusius, that this is exactly the number of the varieties of fish 
known to the ancients. See his ' Oppian,' 372. Were this cer- 
tain, the number of fish caught might be taken as prophetic of the 
call of all mankind to the Church of Christ. 

(v. 15.) Lovest thou me more than these ? If the reader 
recollects Peter's boasts of superior attachment, (Matt. xxvi. 33 ; 
John xiii. 37J and his subsequent three denials of our Lord, he 
will understand the propriety of the question thrice repeated, and 
the modesty of Peter's answer. 

(v. 16.) Take care of my sheep — iroipave ret 7rpo/3ara pa — 
parce agnos meos. It is plain that the Latin translator read dif- 
ferently in his copy, from what we read in every Greek MS. Ac- 
cording to the Latin, our Saviour repeats, feed my lambs, and 
then adds, feed my sheep. According to the Greek copies, he 
varies the expression each time. — 1. floatce raapvia pa — feed my 
lambs ; 2. iroipave ra 7rp6j3ard pa — take care, or be a shepherd to 
my sheep ; 3. j36<tke ra -wp 6 flar a pa — feed my sheep. 



420 JOHN. 

17. He sayeth to him a third time, " Simon, son of 
Jonas, dost thou love me ?" Peter was grieved that he 
should ask him a third time, dost thou love me, and he 
said to him, " Lord, thou knowest all things, thou art 
well aware that I love thee." Jesus sayeth to him, 
" Feed my sheep." 

18. " Verily, verily, I say to thee, when thou wast 
young, thou didst gird thyself, and walk whither it 
pleased thee : but, when thou art old, thou wilt stretch 
out thy hands, and another will gird thee, and lead thee 
whither thou wouldst not." — 

19. Now this he said, to point out by what manner of 
death he was to glorify God — and then he added, " Fol- 
low thou me." 

20. But Peter, turning round, saw that disciple fol- 
lowing, whom Jesus loved, and who at the supper leaned 
on his breast, and said, Lord, who is it that betrayeth 
thee ? — John xiii. 23. 

21. Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, " But he, Lord, 
what will he do ?" 

22. Jesus said, " If it be my will that he tarry till I 
come, what is that to thee ? Do thou follow me." 

23. On this a report was spread among the disciples, 
that that disciple was not to die. But Jesus did not say 
to him, that he should not die, but " if it be my will that 
he tarry till I come, what is that to thee V 

24. This is the disciple who beareth testimony of these 

(v. 22.) If it be my will — lav avrbv Se'Xw— sic cum volo. It 
is plain that in the Vulgate sic is a mistake of the copyist for .*/. 

(r. 23.) Till I come — that is, till the destruction of Jerusalem. 
When this was written Jerusalem had been destroyed. 



JOHN. 421 

things, and who wrote them : and we know that his tes- 
timony is true. 

25. Moreover, there remain many other things that 
Jesus did, which, were they written one by one, the 
world, I think, would not contain the books so written. 
Amen. 



(v. 25.) The world would not contain. This hyperbolical ex- 
pression has been already employed by the evangelist, (c. xii. v. 19j 
the whole world, to denote the crowds that listened to Jesus. It 
was probably a colloquial phrase in common use at the time. 

The comparison of the conclusion of this chapter with the con- 
clusion of the last, suggests the notion, that this history of the 
third appearance of Jesus to his disciples, was added by St. John 
at the request of his hearers, and that he makes the remark in the 
last verse as an excuse to relieve himself from their farther impor- 
tunity; as if he had said, you ask what I cannot undertake; to 
relate all that I remember would be an endless task. 

However that may be, it is plain from these words that neither 
this gospel, nor all the four together, contain all the words and 
actions of our Saviour: whence it follows that there is no scrip- 
tural ground for the assertion, which has been so often made, that 
the four gospels are a full collection of the doctrines and precepts 
taught and enjoined by our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ. 



FINIS, 



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